Lovetocruise2002

I have not cancelled my 2022 sailing ( and have no plans to) so I don't know what happens in that case.

No. Any portion of the cruise fare that you paid for with FCC will be returned back as FCC if they cancel again. For example, FCC from my cancelled March sailing, I used to pay for a now cancelled August sailing. I got that back re-issued as another FCC. The only time you get a refund back is when you have paid out of pocket and they cancel on you.

You got so excited that you forgot to list the date if you want it added to the list! ? I am so happy for you though, and maybe a tad bit jealous lol. I wish I could L&S some of mine.

I would think yes. Whenever you upgrade you are paying prevailing rates. Assuming you booked non-refundable, I would think with "Cruise with Confidence" you can cancel get it all back as FCC and avoid the $100 change fee. But maybe @JLMoran can chime in on this one. I remember a complication that arose when he cancelled his Iceland sailing after L&S. It had something to do with final payment dates. No clue about this one. I have never come across a situation (or heard about one) where someone had to do this.....

I was in the exact same situation as you back in March. They will not budge. I escalated it as high as I could go. If you cancel under Cruise with Confidence (which you did and so did I), you will only get FCC. If they cancel on you, your options are: 125% FCC, full refund, or Lift & Shift.

Royal Caribbean Blog group cruises are so much fun. If you have the opportunity, definitely go. If I wasn’t teaching then, I would be on that Harmony GC in a heartbeat. I find that very rarely are there group rates on the suites. The only time I ever came across one was also for the now cancelled Brilliance GC. That was for a GS. But all the other times group rates were for inside/ocean view/balconies only.

Not all cabins qualify for a group rate, but if MEI has group rates for cabins in your category then definitely you can get a re-price.

If the cruise gets cancelled by Royal, you will have the option to get refunded back (or get 125% FCC) on the portion you paid out of pocket. Cruise fare only. Taxes and fees always come back as a refund. The portion that you paid for using previous FCCs will be re-issued to you as a new FCC. If you use FCC to pay for your April 2021 cruise, and there is some remaining, the remaining portion will not be lost, it will be re-issued to you after you have completed your April sailing. Royal has loosened the restrictions a bit on the FCCs in that sometimes (depending on who you get) they will now let you combine it. Also, as long as it is the same party travelling, it doesn’t really matter whose name is on the FCC, they will apply it to the reservation as a whole. That being said, FCCs are still restrictive so be careful how many you take.

We almost always fly from DTW to FLL (same thing, way cheaper) and we find Uber/Lyft to be the most convenient and cheapest option for getting to Miami. We've had awful experiences with taxi drivers at FLL over the years so we gave up on that. If you don't need a larger Uber/Lyft SUV, it's about $40 total (sometimes less) to get from FLL to downtown Miami. Not bad at all.

My March sailing was cancelled too but because we cancelled two days before they announced it, we also had to take FCC. I wouldn't say we were "screwed" as it was our choice to cancel, just annoying that they did not announce it sooner than the day before March break. My annoyance with them back in March is that we were told we would get 125% FCC and we did not. But that is water under the bridge. If we think back to pre-covid days, cancelling that close to final payment would have resulted in the forfeiting mostly all our money, no FCC at all. The $1000 extra that you paid out of pocket for your March 2021 cruise should be able to be returned to you should Royal cancel that 2021 sailing, and the FCC that you rolled in should be re-issued. As far as kids sail free, it was never a promotion that was run in the summer months or holidays, so it is definitely disappointing, but I wouldn't say that Royal was out to get anyone but not offering on summer sailings, they never have for that one.

This is exactly why I have to psych myself up every time I check for RC refunds! lol So annoying.

Short answer, you don't! Welcome to the suite snob club lol.

That would be a huge upgrade!!!!

Actually going to correct myself here thinking of it some more. L&S is valid until September 30, 2020. You said that your sailing is in November, and assuming that the next round of cancellations is announced mid-September (they seem to be going month to month), you should still have time to move it after the fact. Again, someone correct me if I am not correct on this. L&S is not something I have paid much attention to since none of my sailings are moveable. But definitely people on my roll calls were moving things after the fact.

Yes, I believe that you have a certain amount of time to lift and shift after the cruise is cancelled. I recall each one of my cancelled sailings up until this point, people on roll calls were still shifting after the cancellation announcement. Someone correct me if I am wrong. If your lift and shift is successful and granted, you should not have to pay the price difference. The whole point of lift and shift is that it locks in your lower price.

When we stayed at Embassy Suites in Elizabeth, NJ (it's right next to the Courtyard) we ate at iHOP lol. Probably not the recommendation you were looking for though. I was not a fan of that area, lack of good dining options was one of the reasons. We prefer Manhattan and just make the trip to Bayonne the following day. I was also entertaining the idea (although now it's been cancelled) of staying in Jersey City instead for better pre-cruise dining and entertainment options.

Yes, I've done two on Anthem out of Bayonne. One was an 8 night in March, and the other was a 9 night in July. My thoughts are in these two blogs: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5780-anthem-of-the-seas-march-9-17-2018/ https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/13683-cruising-with-greatness-–-anthem-group-cruise-–-july-4-13-2019/

You should most definitely call. Website does not always show full availability.

Yes, this is what happened for our Odyssey sailing as well. If you opt in for the 125% FCC option, it will be whatever you have paid so far plus 25% extra of that.

I remember reading your blog and you have two kids right? When we travel with our two girls (now 12 and 14), but even when they first started cruising at 4 and 6, our first rule was no one is allowed to pack more than they can carry or wheel or their own. We always do self-disembark and the kids are allowed one backpack on their back and one small 21 inch luggage that wheels. Whatever they need to back must fit into that. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't come. It's worked so far and hubby is not like my poor dad who used to carry all the luggage for his 3 girls way back when lol.

Here's some that @Matt took from Freedom. It going to be very similar... https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/01/11/photo-tour-of-2-bedroom-grand-suite-royal-caribbeans-freedom-of-the-seas

IMO, the biggest benefits to Junior Suites is the bigger space (which I love) and the double C&A points. That's about it.