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LIFT & SHIFT! THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD USE A TRAVEL AGENT!


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You need an AWESOME TA to negotiate the Lift & Shift Royal wedgie!! I have one!!

A HUGE HUMONGOUS "HAT'S OFF" TO SHARLA at MEI! She Lifted and Shifted our Dec 28, 2020, Galveston Adventure 7 Nt Western Caribbean to Dec 26, 2021, Miami Oasis 7 Nt Western Caribbean with Coco Cay in a Crown Loft from a Grand Suite on Adventure. With Allure being doubtful in Dec 2021 and no seven nighters in Dec 2021 in Galveston, this was a good substitute (better than the original cruise, I think). This task was dicey since we used partial FCC from our canceled March (last month) sailing on the Adventure sailing. So pleased!  

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20 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

While I haven’t read anything “official” about casino bookings, I have read anecdotal postings indicating that L&S does NOT work for casino bookings.

I figured as much. But was hoping that with the language not being in there perhaps it might my August Harmony sailing isn’t looking to promising after Frank Del Rio from NCL’s quotes this week. 

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22 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Can I book a new cruise and then L&S it ?  Thinking about booking an Alaskan cruise for this year and then Lifting &Switching it to next year.  I’m reading on CC that you have until 1 August to book and L&S. I thought it was only applicable to cruises already booked but reading conflicting information. 

I've read the rules ... and I dont see any barrier this! ?

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

While I haven’t read anything “official” about casino bookings, I have read anecdotal postings indicating that L&S does NOT work for casino bookings.

I have not looked into casino comp bookings, but had a confirmation today that a standard booking through club Royale is eligible.

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5 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Can I book a new cruise and then L&S it ?  Thinking about booking an Alaskan cruise for this year and then Lifting &Switching it to next year.  I’m reading on CC that you have until 1 August to book and L&S. I thought it was only applicable to cruises already booked but reading conflicting information. 

I have seen several reports on CC of this being done successfully.

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Talked to my TA this weekend about the possibility of doing L&S for our October 8th New England -Canada cruise.  We are doing to hold off for now and wait until just before final payment (7/10/20) to decide for sure.  I really need a vacation; however, I do not want to be so restricted (wearing mask all the time) while on the cruise.  Also, I am not sure if Canada will even be open for us. 

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24 minutes ago, whitsmom said:

We are doing to hold off for now and wait until just before final payment (7/10/20) to decide for sure.

It is my understanding that you cannot apply L&S to a cruise that has been cancelled by Royal, so you probably shouldn't wait too long to decide, or the decision will be made for you.

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8 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

It is my understanding that you cannot apply L&S to a cruise that has been cancelled by Royal, so you probably shouldn't wait too long to decide, or the decision will be made for you.

I know, that is why we are watching it closely.  Part of me wants to go on and shift it and part of me wants to hang on.  My TA is looking into it today with our group (my TA is also in our cruising group) and try to decide our best plan of action.  We got a great deal on our flight also (Delta first class round trip under $430 each) so if I cancel that for credit to use next year - I am sure I won't get that price again.  Please "Rona" go away!!!

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23 minutes ago, Snotarni said:

I'm trying for the 4th time to get L&S.  I get thru to the TA quick enough, it's just the long, ridiculously long, hold times for her to get thru to RCCL.   Been on hold since 10:05am; we'll see. ?

Will verify that the HOLD TIMES ARE INSANE!  Took one of our agents over 6 hours in two days to get FCCs applied to a reservation before final payment was due.  I know all TAs no matter what company they are with are working 3 times as hard to make changes at Royal than they ever did before.  We will all get thru this together!

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@AnnetteJackson I so appreciate the time MEI and Sharla have put in on my L&S! Sharla was on hold, then finally got through, then transferred to another department (after on hold for 104 minutes), then? You guessed it, DISCONNECTED. . . THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME SHE WAS DISCONNECTED! Sharla finally got through, Lift and Shifted, and the noticed an issue where RCCL charged a change fee (!). She called them back (LOVE HER, THANK YOU SHARLA) and had it removed. 

HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR TA TODAY?

image.jpeg.9a8b60ee6a2a28649f564a826841b5f2.jpeg

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14 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

@AnnetteJackson I so appreciate the time MEI and Sharla have put in on my L&S! Sharla was on hold, then finally got through, then transferred to another department (after on hold for 104 minutes), then? You guessed it, DISCONNECTED. . . THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME SHE WAS DISCONNECTED! Sharla finally got through, Lift and Shifted, and the noticed an issue where RCCL charged a change fee (!). She called them back (LOVE HER, THANK YOU SHARLA) and had it removed. 

HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR TA TODAY?

image.jpeg.9a8b60ee6a2a28649f564a826841b5f2.jpeg

Yep - happening to all of us... and she got lucky on her hold time!  haha

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1 hour ago, Snotarni said:

I'm trying for the 4th time to get L&S.  I get thru to the TA quick enough, it's just the long, ridiculously long, hold times for her to get thru to RCCL.   Been on hold since 10:05am; we'll see. ?

So finally finished, just to find out the Royal would NOT honor my reservation for a Lift and Shift.  I "bought" the cruise with Marriott Vacation Club Points, and Royal told our TA that it was purchased under a certain promotion that was not eligible.  I could definitely shift it, but it would've cost me another $650 to move it (kinda defeats the purpose of the Lift and Shift program).  So, I did not Lift and Shift, I'll cruise if I can (in August) or take the FCCs if it's cancelled...  (Too much way-too-fine print I guess).  ?  I feel for my TA who spent 2.5 hours working this.

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58 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

@AnnetteJackson I so appreciate the time MEI and Sharla have put in on my L&S! Sharla was on hold, then finally got through, then transferred to another department (after on hold for 104 minutes), then? You guessed it, DISCONNECTED. . . THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME SHE WAS DISCONNECTED! Sharla finally got through, Lift and Shifted, and the noticed an issue where RCCL charged a change fee (!). She called them back (LOVE HER, THANK YOU SHARLA) and had it removed. 

HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR TA TODAY?

image.jpeg.9a8b60ee6a2a28649f564a826841b5f2.jpeg

I shared a similar story on another thread. Last Wednesday, we called our TA right away with interest to L&S our October 2020 cruise to the Greek Isles. Our TA spent 1 hour 45 minutes on hold, like yours, just to get disconnected. He was emailing me all the while he was on hold and the last email I got from him on Wed. was a " got disconnected, have no idea if I got anything accomplished, going for a walk, and I'll call back later" type email. I had great sympathy for his frustration, as I could only imagine if it were me. Being disconnected after being on hold for so long is one of those "head exploding" moments. To his credit, he came back that evening and was able to hold/reserve the room through regular reservation process to make sure it was available (because it was a 2 BR Grand Suite, it was  the only one available) and began the whole L&S process again Thursday morning. Thursday he spent over 1 hour 20 mins on hold before accomplishing the L&S. We are incredibly grateful for his professionalism and perseverance for us. We were successfully lifted and shifted from 9 nt. Greek Isles in Oct 2020 on Explorer to Same Itinerary on Odyssey in Oct 2021. It was a win/win for us.

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23 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Well this really sucks...so there are no other itineraries that fall within the parameters set by the lift and shift program. 

So am I just screwed out of my cruise?

Oh sure there are other cruises but at significantly high fares.

I just want what I am paying for.

I know its not RCCL fault ...just venting.

If there are no itineraires, then I'd say the ball is REALLY in your court! We were exactly in that situation!!

Find one you like that is even slightly similar, but similar in dates and see what you come up with. We moved from Galveston, 7 nt, Adventure of the Seas Dec 28 2020 to Miami, 7 nt, Oasis WITH Perfect Day at CocoCay, Dec 26 2021. We upgraded our room from a GS on Adventure to a Crown Loft for $300 and change, total (that is not pp). I guess what was in our favor is that there are no 7 nighters in Dec 2021, as Allure won't make it since the new port has been put on hold. 

I'd give it a shot and see what you come up with.

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3 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

If there are no itineraires, then I'd say the ball is REALLY in your court! We were exactly in that situation!!

Find one you like that is even slightly similar, but similar in dates and see what you come up with. We moved from Galveston, 7 nt, Adventure of the Seas Dec 28 2020 to Miami, 7 nt, Oasis WITH Perfect Day at CocoCay. We upgraded our room from a GS on Adventure to a Crown Loft for $300 and change, total (that is not pp). I guess what was in our favor is that there are no 7 nighters in Dec 2021, as Allure won't make it since the new port has been put on hold. 

I'd give it a shot and see what you come up with.

Does not apply 

NEW! Introducing Lift & Shift for those guests simply wishing to move their existing booking to next year. Eligible for rebooking between now and August 1, 2020, guests can protect their original price and promotional offering simply by selecting a future sailing on the same itinerary type, sailing length, stateroom category, and within the same 4-week period of their original cruise date same-time-next-year

 

The only one that is close is $300 pp more, and that is with a port change, going to St Maarten and not St Kitts. 

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53 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Does not apply 

NEW! Introducing Lift & Shift for those guests simply wishing to move their existing booking to next year. Eligible for rebooking between now and August 1, 2020, guests can protect their original price and promotional offering simply by selecting a future sailing on the same itinerary type, sailing length, stateroom category, and within the same 4-week period of their original cruise date same-time-next-year

 

The only one that is close is $300 pp more, and that is with a port change, going to St Maarten and not St Kitts. 

We were able to Lift and Shift our cruise from a 9 night Greek Isles 2020 to a 9 night Greek Isles in 2021. The itenerary was mostly the same except a port or two within the itenerary was different. My understanding of itenerary was “9 night Greek Isles”, “7 night Western Caribbean”, 7 night Alaska Inside Passage round trip, etc... even though exact ports may differ. Different ship, same basic itenerary and a huge savings by keeping our original pricing. We paid no additional monies. Hope it will work ou for you. 

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35 minutes ago, Kathleen said:

We were able to Lift and Shift our cruise from a 9 night Greek Isles 2020 to a 9 night Greek Isles in 2021. The itenerary was mostly the same except a port or two within the itenerary was different. My understanding of itenerary was “9 night Greek Isles”, “7 night Western Caribbean”, 7 night Alaska Inside Passage round trip, etc... even though exact ports may differ. Different ship, same basic itenerary and a huge savings by keeping our original pricing. We paid no additional monies. Hope it will work ou for you. 

+1. Our has two different ports from our first sailing. Let alone a completely different embark/debark port. Shouldn't cost ANYTHING more.

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2 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Does not apply 

NEW! Introducing Lift & Shift for those guests simply wishing to move their existing booking to next year. Eligible for rebooking between now and August 1, 2020, guests can protect their original price and promotional offering simply by selecting a future sailing on the same itinerary type, sailing length, stateroom category, and within the same 4-week period of their original cruise date same-time-next-year

 

The only one that is close is $300 pp more, and that is with a port change, going to St Maarten and not St Kitts. 

1 hour ago, Kathleen said:

We were able to Lift and Shift our cruise from a 9 night Greek Isles 2020 to a 9 night Greek Isles in 2021. The itenerary was mostly the same except a port or two within the itenerary was different. My understanding of itenerary was “9 night Greek Isles”, “7 night Western Caribbean”, 7 night Alaska Inside Passage round trip, etc... even though exact ports may differ. Different ship, same basic itenerary and a huge savings by keeping our original pricing. We paid no additional monies. Hope it will work ou for you. 

+2 for this, along with @Baked Alaska's reply. I just did L&S for my Iceland and Greenland cruise, which not only has a big port change (remove Sydney, NS and replace it with Kirkwall, Scotland), but the destination port is completely different -- Southampton instead of Dublin! If that was allowed (admittedly for a once-per-year sailing), I can't see them disallowing one that changes out St. Kitts with St. Maarten (which, btw, is a GREAT trade IMO).

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Just bailed on our Allure Med cruise for September. We used Lift & Switch to change to Harmony.

First time ever working with @michelle from MEI and she sorted it all out in the blink of an eye. So glad we took the plunge and asked her to look after our booking.

The current price of the Harmony cruise is more than double what we paid for Allure and now we have something to look forward to rather than worry about.

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On 5/10/2020 at 9:37 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Can I book a new cruise and then L&S it ?  Thinking about booking an Alaskan cruise for this year and then Lifting &Switching it to next year.  I’m reading on CC that you have until 1 August to book and L&S. I thought it was only applicable to cruises already booked but reading conflicting information. 

 

On 5/10/2020 at 10:00 PM, Ogilthorpe said:

I've read the rules ... and I dont see any barrier this! ?

 

On 5/11/2020 at 3:05 AM, FionaMG said:

I have seen several reports on CC of this being done successfully.

I tried this this morning with my travel agent. She contacted Royal Caribbean and was told this only applies to existing bookings. In Matt's blog posting the other day it was put down that you could create a new reservation and lift & shift  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/05/11/royal-caribbean-lift-and-shift-information-frequently-asked-questions

Does it matter when a cruise was booked?

Guests are eligible to rebook under the Lift & Shift guidelines between now and August 1, 2020. After this point, Lift & Shift expires and is no longer eligible.

All existing bookings, as well as bookings made between now and August 1, 2020 are eligible.

I searched on Royal Caribbean's website and couldn't find any info saying that you could do this.

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18 minutes ago, Jaime said:

Here you have all the information

 That's what I saw too. So if I'm reading it correctly, you cannot use the lift & shift on a new reservation, which I'm guessing is something booked after this program was put into place, only an existing reservation, something booked before this program was put into place. It's being reported here that it can and has been done. I guess it depends on which RCCL agent one's travel agent speaks with.

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20 minutes ago, USFFrank said:

I guess it depends on which RCCL agent one's travel agent speaks with.

This, in a nutshell. 

I read of a couple of cases of people making new bookings and Lifting and Shifting them in the same call! Others are being told they have to wait until 24 hours after booking before they can Lift & Shift.

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16 minutes ago, USFFrank said:

  I guess it depends on which RCCL agent one's travel agent speaks with.

This has been the name of the game with Royal since this all began!  If you don't get the answer you want you can call back and wait another hour or so and then you get someone that MIGHT do it for you.  Wish they would shut the call center down one day just to train all of them so they all knew what was going on.  Royal never imagined or planned for call center agents working from home.

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28 minutes ago, AnnetteJackson said:

If you don't get the answer you want you can call back and wait another hour

It would be so nice if Royal's call center had a call back option.  I just did a call back option with the airlines. You don't lose your "place in line" and get a call when an agent is available.  It would sure beat listening to their music for hours on end!!

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41 minutes ago, Vacation Crazy said:

It would be so nice if Royal's call center had a call back option.  I just did a call back option with the airlines. You don't lose your "place in line" and get a call when an agent is available.  It would sure beat listening to their music for hours on end!!

I just wish they would actually PLAY MUSIC!  I used to complain about calling Disney and the hold music being the tiki room or its a small world, but constant ads in a short loop during this kind of hold - give me something to dance to! ?

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Just following up.... our July 2020 Ovation/Alaska cruise is now officially lifted and shifted to July of 2021. (and got a slightly lower rate in the process)

The only down side is that this years rez was on a zero deposit hold b/c of a cancellation, and pending our FCC certs. So to move it, we had to have a full $500 deposit on file. So had to put that down to make it official.... But will apply our FCC once we get it. 

 

So... the new countdown begins! Going to be tough... b/c we already waited over a year and a couple months to go to Alaska for the first time... but now we have to wait another year and a few months!

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17 hours ago, USFFrank said:

 That's what I saw too. So if I'm reading it correctly, you cannot use the lift & shift on a new reservation, which I'm guessing is something booked after this program was put into place, only an existing reservation, something booked before this program was put into place. It's being reported here that it can and has been done. I guess it depends on which RCCL agent one's travel agent speaks with.

I have yet to find any wording that says it can't be used on a new ressie. 

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Just now, Matt said:

I have yet to find any wording that says it can't be used on a new ressie. 

I tend to agree. Last night I called up Royal myself and tried to book a new cruise, then do lift and shift. The agent wouldn't let me. She basically said her supervisor wouldn't let her. Needless to say, I didn't book anything with her last night. I did however come up with a plan B based on what other posters in this thread and others have done. I should have an answer on it tomorrow.

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