Lovetocruise2002

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

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.

@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.

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.

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

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.

+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+.

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.

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.

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.

👆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. 😉

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.

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

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!

Sadly that is still the case....

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

This is exactly where my thinking is at. I'm fine with going, we need to be cautious but cannot live our lives in fear. And it just make spending more time in my cabin the cool thing to do. We normally hang out in there a lot anyway. We cruise for relaxation, we don't need to do much. I need the borders to open though.

^^^This^^^ But it still sucks...

I'm holding onto my RLS on OA 08/23/2020 until they cancel too because the only option I want to L&S it to next August is a no-go. So I will take my 125FCC from this August (I am already assuming that I won't be going) and moving it to my booking for next August.