Lovetocruise2002

16 minutes ago, Chadster said:

Somebody told me recently that sometimes it takes a while to find "the one" when it comes to TAs, just like it does with other people in life.

That sounds like great insight! 😉😄

1 hour ago, cman2020 said:

The question is should I book it and are you able to have 2 cruises booked for the same travelers for the same time basically? I would probably book that one refundable as well. TIA for any info. 

Most definitely yes!  I currently have 4 double bookings going on.  That Odyssey sailing that you are on is one of them.  As long as you don't mind your money tied up in deposits, it's totally fine.

For us, the deal breaker is going to be the 14 day Quarantine Act in Canada, and the border restrictions.  If those are lifted, we are going.  Looking at the types of bookings I have between now and spring 2021 and our personal style when cruising, dining isn't going to be an issue, the mask is not a deal breaker (as long as it's in public areas only), and I have not been #teamWJ for a very long time.

12 hours ago, KevinJ said:

We got our today and the total correct, however what they did was take the total we spent, multiplied by 1.25 and then divided by three, the total for our party. So we all got the same amount. Now when I go to apply this to our upcoming cruises, my wife is customer #1 so always pays the most, I'm number 2 and pay less, and my son pays even less. SO my wife will not have enough to cover her portions while my son will have too much. I thought we were each supposed to get 1.25 of our individual exspenses.

2 hours ago, mworkman said:

Okay..let me see if i got this correct, with 2 people in a room,  your FCC amount will be split between both individuals for your final amount of 125%, correct? 

1 hour ago, JohnK6404 said:

As per the conditions on the e-mail, each FCC certificate is only good for that named guest. However, I thought I read on the forum that RC will sometimes make exceptions (eg. guest unable or unwilling to cruise again). Of course not relevant if your going to cruise with the same people!

 

The same thing happened to us.  We got our FCCs back and there were 4 of us.  The total was split evenly by 4.  I was concerned about applying this at first because passenger 3&4 never pay that much.  However, my TA assured me that as long as you are applying the FCC for the same 4 people, the amounts don't matter.  They will just look at the total.  She was able to get the FCC (with the even amounts) applied without a problem to my final payment this past week.

I also, have heard of a few cases where they were able to transfer the FCCs as a result of cancellations due to the pandemic. YMMV

9 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

Don’t try to fake us out, we know it’s because the RLS will never have a refundable deposit 😛

Actually, that was one of the rare ones the went down quite a bit closer to final payment! 

The only issue I have with refundable, that no one has brought up yet, is that most times, prices goes up as you get closer to final payment, not the other way, at least not on sailings that I have tracked over the last few years.  So if you book a refundable, and count on changing that to a non-refundable down the road (closer to final payment), the price may have jumped a lot by then, making the non-refundable more than you originally booked the refundable for.  This was just one disadvantage that I thought of just now.  Who knows how this pandemic will change these trends, but just something I noticed over the years.

@Neesa I was supposed to be on the same sailing as @Ogilthorpe on 3/15.  I got my FCC and cruise planner/taxes refund all back on 5/4.  So you might be waiting a while.  On our roll call group (we kept that running to see how long it was taking for people to get their FCCs and money back) there are still some people today who have nothing yet.

59 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

 I thought a reprice on a non-refundable booking involved a $100/person change fee as a way to discourage small price adjustments except when an upgrade is involved.  I can't keep all the rules straight anymore.

@JLMoran is correct.  I usually book non-refundable and I have re-priced many times, the $100pp change fee is not involved in that.  The only time you get charged the $100pp change fee is when you cancel completely or change ship/sail date.  I have only happen once like @JLMoran described, it was when I went from two connecting cabins to one, because ultimately, that involved "cancelling" one cabin.  A re-price, you are not changing ship/sail date.

Keep in mind they also laid off a lot of their agents.  Add that in with the much higher volume of calls and wait times are a nightmare.

5 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

I'm hung up on the price difference between refundable and nonrefundable--- $400 for the cruise I'm looking at.

There is sometimes an even bigger difference between refundable and non-refundable.  IMO, if you don't mind getting back FCC, then with CWC, non-refundable is the way to go.  It's cheaper.

CWC allows you to cancel up till 48 hours prior to sailing, but you only get back FCC.

Refundable deposit is only refundable up until final payment.  

14 minutes ago, Cile said:

I was waiting 2:10 minutes and I ask for supervisor and now I am waiting already 45 min. I am very unpleasantly surprise about all of this? 

The hold times are awful.  My TA has been on hold almost all day trying get FCCs applied to my sailing for final payment.

2 minutes ago, Cile said:

I just cancel October cruise for my daughter and RC told me they will give only $100 back and rest will be credit for future cruises. My daughter is not big fan of cruising and I am not sure she will go in future . I think it is not fer now with virus to tied money or even let you transfer to other member of family ? Do you have same experience? 

I have heard lately that some people have had luck getting their FCC transferred to someone else's name.  It really is going to depend on who you get on the other end of the phone.

4 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

However, we have a harsh reality to face (pun?), I just don't see how they aren't going to require masks for indoor areas, such as the promenade, arcades, etc. MGM resorts laid out their plan and on that list was masks. 

+1 on this.  

Mask or no mask is not a deal breaker for me, but I don't see either how they can't require a mask for public areas.  Look at Disney Springs opening this week.  Mask is mandatory for anyone 3+.

31 minutes ago, Traveler said:

They just increased the UDP from 175 to 200 $ and the water park/Beach club are doubled I do hope its a good sign as they will need to reduce the number of tickets / seats due to the new social distancing , maybe there is some hope. Please do not finish all the stakes at CK day 1 , we will be the one that waiting near the CK door hope that someone will open it and that we will have a table 🙂   

If by some crazy luck, we actually end up on this cruise, you come find me in the RLS, and I will ask our Genie to take you to CK with us for those steaks. Sitting with social distancing, of course. 

I am paying final payment, but I am not optimistic. Time will tell. 

5 hours ago, Traveler said:

We have  a cruise at 23-August from NJ on Oasis of the seas .

44 minutes ago, RockerDom31 said:

We are booked on that Aug 23 Oasis trip

Hey!  We're on the same cruise!

We are paying final payment, with the bulk of it coming from our FCCs from our cancelled March sailing.  Then we wait.  If we bail at the last minute, or if Royal cancels, I will take the new FCCs and apply it to SY next August.  Flights through Delta can be credited.  Going to pay and play it by ear.

1 hour ago, Dad2Cue said:

Technically, I think I use a TA because I was assigned a Royal Caribbean Vacation Planner a long time ago.  I have yet to learn what he is exactly but he is fun to talk to

Hmmm...I wonder if yours is the same Royal Caribbean Vacation Planner that I sometimes deal with.  I don't really count them as TAs though.  Usually, I book the unique cabins with them and transfer it to a TA, because they have access to earlier openings.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

You don't need a TA when everything goes right, you need a good TA when things don't go right.  

👆This! 

I am a Type A control freak. I won’t deny it. Booking with a TA means giving up control to a certain degree. Over the years, I have tried everything from local private agencies, big box agencies, to online ones.   Some were ok, some were duds. My conclusion has always been the same, I can do it better myself.

Recently, with the cancellations, I have learned a very valuable lesson. A good TA can do things for you that you aren’t even aware could be done. A good TA is one step ahead of you. A good TA anticipates and solves before you even get to it. A good TA does not take “no” for an answer.  A good TA goes above and beyond.  A good TA shines when things go bad. And it takes a lot for me to say that because I do everything.  I am Type A to the extreme.  Not many TAs are like that. But when you do find one, they are worth their weight in gold. 
 

I used to think that it came down to price. But I have recently learned that I was very wrong. You cannot “quantify” what a good TA can do. Don’t get me wrong, a good TA takes care of their clients too, but that is not all that matters. 😉

3 hours ago, S0nny said:

Any input?! @Lovetocruise2002 I think I saw that you did the VP on your Indy sailing in 2019, but I couldn't find a live blog. 

Sadly, I think I am jinxed for sailing in this suite.  I have booked it more times than I can count and have had to cancel for different reasons.  I was really looking forward to finally trying it on Adventure 07/15/2020 but I am almost positive that will be another missed opportunity.

My opinion on the VP is that it is well worth the missing balcony for the space and full suite perks.  Given the choice between the VP and JS, I will always choose the VP.  In fact, my awesome TA said to me yesterday, "I noticed you always book VP on Freedom/Voyager class ships."  Reason is because it's the best value.  JS are okay, but no real suite perks.  The jump to a GS is often a big difference.  Category VP is a happy medium and you get a ton more space than a GS or JS.  Sometimes, you get lucky and the VP is cheaper than the JS.  One day, I will sail this suite.  I have two more bookings with this suite so hopefully those happen lol.

1 hour ago, Jjohnb said:

LOL, that's usually the protocol, we were on the Anthem in Feb 2016 when it sailed into the storm with hurricane force winds, thank goodness for Captain Claus, if it wasn't for him it could have ended very badly!  But at the end of the day, even a bad cruise is better than a good day at work 🙂   

IIRC, isn’t that one of the things that prompted them to hire James Van Fleet?

1 hour ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I can't imagine having the time to have 100 taken in the first place.

Same, but that price jump is ridiculous!

About a month ago, we debated over purchasing the "All digital" photo package for $119 for our cruise in December (that may or may not happen).  I am so thankful we bought it.  Crazy jump in price and not unlimited anymore!

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I thought you guys were confined to your Province...

Sadly that is still the case....

1 hour ago, Jax said:

But on the bright side, Some businesses including hair salons reopened today in our province and I got my hair done!

I should make my drive over to Alberta!  I really need a cut and colour! lol