Dad2Cue

@twangster How do you take such fantastic photos.  You must be a professional.

I would have to agree that Quantum class has the best solarium.  I have been on a cruise when the outdoor temperature was too cold to enjoy a cruise.  No worries in the Quantum class solarium.

2 hours ago, Floski said:

I got to go to Crete playing basketball when I was stationed at Boerfink Bunker!  How cool was that?

@Floski My best trip was on a night train through East Germany to play basketball in Berlin.  We were told that we would be shot if we got off the train for any reason.  I kept wondering if World War 3 hinged on whether or not I got off the train.   I decided to stay on the train until we reached Berlin..

The F-4 was an awesome platform!  We had 'em at Ramstein there at my first duty station.  Although I probably complained nearly every day, I loved the AF and kick myself daily for getting out before retirement. 

@Floski Best 4 years of my life were spent in Europe at Soesterberg, The Netherlands (Camp New Amsterdam) 1972-76.  I went to Ramstein a few times.  I made the rounds in Europe going TDY to play basketball.  I miss those F-4 Phantoms.

50 minutes ago, Matt said:

Hmm, is that because there's no actual cash on the reservation to refund? This might be a shortfall of the FCC system, where zero cash means inability to refund small FCC values.

It would be nice to know for sure if this was true.  I asked a Royal representative about this because after the FCC was applied the cruise fare was reduced to almost nothing.  My remaining balance is about $700 which is mostly taxes, fees and gratuities.  The receipt only shows the reduced cruise fare and doesn't actually show the FCC applied.  I have kept a record of what the cruise fare was before the FCC was applied and the Royal rep said he could see it as well.  He said it was still possible to reprice.

I haven't needed to reprice yet to test it.  The rep mentioned something about it being a OBC.as compared to a price reduction but I don't know.  I'm tired of my FCC and I just want to use it and be done.  I don't much care for my future flight credit either but I'm disputing that.

13 minutes ago, MiguelB said:

This makes more sense...thanks for you reply.

The reservation number stayed the same.  There shouldn't be any need to cancel the first reservation to make the changes.  Change fees may apply depending on how it was booked originally.  The new cruise may cost more or it may cost less. 

58 minutes ago, MiguelB said:

Yes, i also noticed that sometimes i get different answers to the same question...

I just "transferred" my FCC from one cruise ship to a totally different ship, date and itinerary (trans Atlantic cruise to Alaska cruise).  I was on the phone a long time but nobody said it couldn't be done.  The reservation department made the change.  Then I was transferred to the "post cruise" department  to transfer the FCC.  Finally, I was transferred to another department and my OBC was transfered to the new cruise.  It took about 2-3 hours total so it wasn't an efficient process.  Everything was done which was the main objective.

My original cruise was booked refundable so there was no change fee.  Rules in Europe may be different.  I'm pretty sure the non-transferable language means from one person to another person.

5 hours ago, Ray said:

Just an idea but given all this infighting between various states in the US would it not be a good idea to follow the old Soviet Union and break up into smaller independent countries? 

Imagine 50 separate countries where previously there was only the one! 

Donald could build big walls dividing each country so there was no movement between them without going through check points and passport control. 

It would certainly make the world serious live up to its name more  

We are still hopeful that the San Andreas fault will jettison California someday.  Then we will work on the New York City and Washington DC areas.   The rest of the country is good for the most part.  I hear upstate New York is good too.

Chicago needs some work but that is too close to me so I'm worried about collateral damage.

3 minutes ago, Ray said:

Aplogies if offended but a little light humour brightens these dark times 

I'm not offended.  My father always said we were Scotch-Irish.  I've been researching that on ancestry.com.  What's your opinion on that?

57 minutes ago, Ray said:

And also we were ONLY  last to be banned because US citizens on vacaction needed a place to get home from! Italy is closed make your way to UK taking all luggage and any virus with you   so its not as if the US was doing us a favour, in fact you put us more at risk by the uk having to accommodate people from varuous virus hit countries making their way home to the US, you were looking after your own which is only right but that is the only reason Donald let us still fly. And as soon as US citizens were home he shut the door leaving UK citizens stuck in US.

 

 

I think it was that nobody knew where the Schengen zone was so there was some confusion.  Everyone knew where the UK was so it became the exit door.   I think it was more about a statement being made that  "countries need borders".

I believe flights returning to Europe from the USA were being allowed so nobody should have been stuck.  In any case, it was a mess and still is.  I just want to move on and go on a cruise.

14 hours ago, Ray said:

Europe is actually quite a developed continent, in fact the ships that took your ancestors to the USA were built here  

The cruise ships are also built in Europe it seems.

2 hours ago, Ray said:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11945174/travel-france-italy-spain-holiday-air-bridges/

Report on how the UK are looking at reducing the quarantine measures for counties/ areas visited or from where visitors have arrived from and when its looking to relax these measures.

USA is seen as high risk and reports indicates it will be Nov/ Dec 

Now the EU can do whatever they want because I'm going to Alaska in Aug 2021 instead of my Allure trans Atlantic this Nov 2020.  

I'm  guessing  that the EU is still outraged that the USA closed her borders to the EU early.  In retrospect, it seems the USA did the right thing in the beginning.  Now, I'm starting to believe in herd immunity.  Personally, I will try to hold out for a vaccine.

It is too soon to worry about my Anthem trans Atlantic to the UK in April 2021.  My preparation for the same cruise in April 2020 won't be a complete waste. I also want to remind the people of the UK that they were the last Europeans to be banned.

Does anyone know how Quantum will be "reconfigured" when she is repositioned from the Asian market to Alaska?

Second question involves the need to stop at the Canadian port of Victoria.  I have been there already so I know about the maritime rules about stopping at a "distant" foreign port.  In the worst of cases, what if Canada doesn't allow cruise ships in 2021.  Would it be possible for a ship to stop in Canada but nobody is allowed to disembark?  Would that be in compliance of the rules?

11 hours ago, Jason12 said:

Yep no point in worrying about a vacation there’re meant to be fun, I think they will sail her straight back to the US after dry dock

Hopefully they pick up some crew members before returning.  I suspect they will need to be retrained before the Caribbean season starts.  

11 hours ago, Jason12 said:

Wow my lift and shift was done over night after I filled the online form in yesterday a quick call to get cabins next to each other and all done and they seem to have reduced the price in my favour

I plan to call today and reschedule my Allure TA to Alaska in Aug-Sept 2021.  I made a preliminary call yesterday and was told there was not a problem with rescheduling since it was booked refundable.  Everything will be carried over to the Alaska cruise ... even the OBC.  My cruise planner purchases will be refunded.  The wait for that refund is the only downside.

1 hour ago, JeffB said:

The facts support that the social and economic costs of continuing to immobilize the US as a virus mitigation and containment measure exceed the costs of the disease burden associated with the rising number of new cases attendant to reopenings.

@JeffB I think facts are different depending on the region of the country you are from.  From the prospective of the Midwest,  I think you are correct.  Where I live, a major university medical center with 800 hospital beds was emptied out in anticipation of the surge of cases that never materialized.  Yes, there were some admissions and there were some deaths but nowhere near what was feared.  The economic cost to the hospital was substantial as hospital beds sat empty.   No hospital worker was "overwhelmed" except for when the possibility of layoffs was announced.  My state didn't even "lock down" completely but all were advised to stay home.  

Now, the hospital is open again and the beds are again full ---- things are getting back to normal.

5 hours ago, Jason12 said:

Made the decision to lift and shift the Allure TA They said our free deluxe package will swap over as it’s a all inclusive package, we chose the Harmony TA next year from Barcelona, just need to cancel everything and rebook everything

That is sad!  I'm almost ready to do the same.   Part of me still wants to do the Allure TA and I think there is a reasonable chance of it happening.  However, the thought of wearing a mask for 8 hours on an airplane and everything else that could happen is too much to worry about.  I don't like air travel to begin with.

@JeffB To your point ... I'm basically a conformist although sometimes I'm slow to conform.  Therefore, I agree with you that people generally behave but it will take time.  I represent the majority of people in my opinion.

On the other hand, there are those few people who like to disrupt.    As we have all witnessed, peaceful protest descend into violent displays very rapidly.  I would agree that the media plays a huge role in this.   So much of it seems politically motivated and has nothing to do with facts or about doing what is right.

There always seems to be 2 sides of every issue.  I'm always on the fence.  In school, I was encouraged to pick one side or the other.  My response to that was, "I prefer to watch what happens on both sides".

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

As a U.S. territory the CDC does have reach there.  That means it won't work as a bypass to get around the CDC.   

I have a cruise on Freedom in January that originates in Puerto Rico and goes to the ABC islands.  I was hoping the CDC didn't have any jurisdiction there.

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

Yes, you can move it to any other cruise on any date precisely because it is a refundable rate. I checked this exact point with our TA before lifting and switching.

So the only reason to L&S is to price protect.

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

If you want to protect the price, and all applicable stars align (date one year ahead plus or minus four weeks, same itinerary type, same length, same cabin category) then L&S is the way to go. If you do L&S you still keep the refundable status.

I would have one possible L&S option on a trans Atlantic next fall.  I don't want that option.

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

Outside of L&S you pay the going rate 

I'm willing to pay the going rate on a new cruise using the existing reservation # as long as I can use my FCC and my $900 cash deposit.  Do they stay with the existing reservation if  the cruise ship, itinerary, and date all change??  Staying on Allure at a future date might be okay.  If the going rate is less than what combined FCC + $900 cash, will that result in a refund or should I book something where the going rate is more.

I mostly would like to avoid refunds and having to reissue the FCC because who knows when they might materialize.

8 hours ago, twangster said:

The challenge to operating from another country in the Caribbean is resupplying the ship.  The volume of supplies that get loaded on turn around day is massive. 

@twangster What about Puerto Rico --- It is a US territory.

18 minutes ago, crisgold52 said:

I've also discovered that its generally easier to get a new booking # as if you call RCL as often as I do to check and modify things the internal notes on one booking can get super confusing so my rule of thumb is to always get a new booking number when switching ship and sail date. Then just transfer any deposits over to the new reservation.

It would seem like a new reservation # is what I need to avoid because that effectively cancels the existing reservation # ... or maybe not.  I mostly want to reschedule my existing cruise to a totally different cruise -- maybe in 2022.   I think that is allowed with a refundable deposit if it is before the final payment date.  I'm just not sure what happens to the FCC but I'm hoping that it stays with the existing reservation # even though the cruise ship, time, etc changes.   I'm hoping the OBC stays too because I repriced the cruise once and the OBC didn't go away.  I booked this cruise a long time ago.

I'm approaching my final payment date on August 4th.    However, my cruise is paid in full thanks to a $2000 FCC.  My cruise was originally booked with a $900 refundable deposit.  After the FCC was applied,  My receipt shows the following:

Cruise Fare   $310      Taxes and Fees  $265      Gratuities     $406      Total Charge   $981

There is also a $200 OBC but I can't remember why I received that because there isn't any promotion listed.    It might have been a next cruise OBC.

I believe I could lift and shift my Allure TA to the Harmony TA next year at the same time.  I'm not wild about the itinerary of the Harmony TA because of 1 port day and 13 sea days.

My question is --- Can I keep the same reservation number and change to  ANY cruise, ANY time and ANY ship and still retain the OBC?   Would I either pay the difference or perhaps even get a refund depending on the price of the new cruise?  

I still would like to do the Allure TA but I just don't see it happening anymore.  Even if the cruise happens, I don't think I need the hassle of going to Barcelona and I doubt the new normal will appeal to me.

On 6/15/2020 at 2:48 PM, BarbieBell said:

The 2020 Presidents Cruise is October 25 sailing on the Allure out of Barcelona for 7 days in the Med. The next cruise following it is a transatlantic from Barcelona back to Miami. There’s lots of us booked on both cruises and as things are right now, we are wondering what’s the possibility that these will sail or be cancelled.

I'm on the trans Atlantic on Allure but not the President's cruise.  The later it gets the more likely I will cancel.  I had my flight booked but it was cancelled.  I'm not sure what is happening in Spain.  Fortunately or not, my trans Atlantic cruise is paid in full because of a FCC from another cancelled cruise.  About the only thing that prevents me from cancelling this cruise is having to go through another ordeal with my deposit and cruise planner purchases being refunded. 

I don't hold Royal responsible for any of this but more communication would be nice.  If so many of us are on these cruises, I would like to know what you are planning do.  

32 minutes ago, PieEater said:

No I don’t want to go on it this year. I honestly don’t see it going ahead to be fair and I booked because of the amplification. I’ve tried calling again - on hold for 45 mins and then said nothing they can do today but the “revenue” team MAY be able to assist me who only work Mon to Fri. 

@PieEater The cruise with confidence rules may apply so if you wait to cancel, you shouldn't lose any deposit money.  Depends if you are booked refundable or not.  I would be reluctant to give them more money even if it is your final payment date.  I would be interested in knowing what happens if you accidentally forget to make the final payment.  (Not suggesting this because I don't know what would happen)  It really seems unfair when they don't cancel the cruises sooner.  I'm sure they are able to project more than 30 days about whether a cruise will be cancelled or not. I wish you luck.

@rjac Thanks for the tip.  I will put that in my Royal Caribbean reference book.

1 hour ago, SPS said:

With the current 2021 sale going on, I was able to see that booking an available cabin RIGHT NEXT TO MINE was $79 cheaper so I decided to call RCCL. (Not a bunch, but, hey, every bit helps!)

It doesn't even have to be a cabin anywhere near yours ... just the same category.  Sometimes it will show that a room in that category isn't available but you still may be able to re-price.  Like you say, every bit helps.  I just re-priced a cruise 2 days in a row.  The first day was a $75 cruise fare reduction. The second day I noticed another $75 discount for something else.  I felt ashamed for calling two days in a row but it was a different person each time so it didn't seem to matter. I don't get many "Iowa" discounts but I watch those "military" discounts very closely.

51 minutes ago, PieEater said:

Nope, they wouldn't budge on anything at all.  I was very polite throughout to the operator and after over 40 minutes on the phone trying to sort it today (because it is my final payment date) they cut me off. I have emailed customer services about it but I don't expect them to change their stance disappointingly.

@PieEater Do you really want to do the cruise this year or would you rather wait until next year?   I don't know what happens if you don't make the final payment.  Otherwise, try calling back and be slightly less polite.  I guess it sometimes depends on who you talk to. I'm in a similar situation and I need to face making the decision soon.  One thing about booking a cruise a year ahead, the price tends to decrease and you can re-price.  However, being in the UK, I don't think those rules apply to you.  I think the Europe cruise season on Allure isn't likely so if Royal cancels they might be more willing to Lift and Shift then as compared to giving a refund.