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Hello,

Due to the virus one of my cruises got canceled and i accepted the 125% FCC, to help royal caribbean and also to benefit from the 25% extra. Some days later i booked a cruise to january 2020 and used part of that FCC (the deposit was payed with a credit card). Now i am not sure if i will be able to do that january cruise and called RC to ask if i could change the dates. They told me that i would lose the FCC, that i used on that cruise, because it can only be used once. For me its very strange to lose the fcc if i cancel the cruise or change it before the final payment date. Can someone share some wisdom with me? Thanks.

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Per the FCC terms and conditions, FCC is non transferrable:

Terms & Conditions
 
Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) “Cruise With Confidence” program allows individual guests and guests in non-contracted groups who booked a cruise on or before August 1, 2020, for cruises sailing between June 12, 2020 and April 30, 2022, to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours prior to the vacation start date and have the option to either (i) receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to the full amount of the cruise fare the guest paid for their cruise, or (ii) move their booking to an eligible alternate sailing and receive our “best price guarantee” for the re-booked sailing, or (iii) opt in for our “best price guarantee” on their current sailing. “Eligible alternate sailing” means a booking in the same stateroom category sailing with RCI on the same product and cruise length scheduled within four weeks before or four weeks after the date of the original sailing but in the subsequent year. For those sailings, RCI will protect the guest’s original price and/or promotion so long as the guest moves the eligible booking to the alternative sailing on or before August 1, 2020. If RCI’s “best price guarantee” results in a decrease in the guest’s cruise fare inside final payment, then the difference will be provided to guests in the form of a non-refundable onboard credit for use on the eligible alternative sailing. If RCI’s “best price guarantee” results in a decrease in the guest’s cruise fare outside final payment, the difference will be provided in a rate adjustment. “Vacation start date” means the date of the earlier of: (i) the scheduled embarkation of the cruise; or (ii) any pre-cruise hotel stay or Cruisetour package associated with the cruise and booked through RCI. If the guest chooses to move their booking to an eligible sailing in the subsequent year, any penalties previously assessed based on the prior sailing’s penalty schedule will follow the booking to the new sailing. The Future Cruise Credit portion of the “Cruise With Confidence” program will only apply to bookings for named guests for which cruise fares have been paid in full. If the guest opts to cancels his/her cruise, a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be issued for the cruise fare amounts paid to the cruise line. The FCC is non-transferrable and may not be redeemed for cash. The FCC’s value may be applied toward the cruise fare due on a new booking, on RCI for a sailing that is the later of on or before December 31, 2021, or 12 months after the date that the guest cancelled their original sailing . All bookings are subject to availability at the time of the request. If not used on or before the expiration date stated above, the FCC will automatically expire and have no cash value. Restrictions may apply on stateroom category and applicable pricing and promotions. Guest will remain responsible for paying the applicable deposit amounts, taxes/fees, port expenses and gratuities (if applicable) for the new booking. RCI’s “Cruise with Confidence” program does not apply to bookings made by residents of mainland China, and Hong Kong. Program does not apply to chartered sailings or contracted group bookings. RCI reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions at any time without prior notice or liability. Offer can be withdrawn at any time without notice.
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9 minutes ago, marti314 said:

Per the FCC terms and conditions, FCC is non transferrable:

Terms & Conditions
 
Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) “Cruise With Confidence” program allows individual guests and guests in non-contracted groups who booked a cruise on or before August 1, 2020, for cruises sailing between June 12, 2020 and April 30, 2022, to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours prior to the vacation start date and have the option to either (i) receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to the full amount of the cruise fare the guest paid for their cruise, or (ii) move their booking to an eligible alternate sailing and receive our “best price guarantee” for the re-booked sailing, or (iii) opt in for our “best price guarantee” on their current sailing. “Eligible alternate sailing” means a booking in the same stateroom category sailing with RCI on the same product and cruise length scheduled within four weeks before or four weeks after the date of the original sailing but in the subsequent year. For those sailings, RCI will protect the guest’s original price and/or promotion so long as the guest moves the eligible booking to the alternative sailing on or before August 1, 2020. If RCI’s “best price guarantee” results in a decrease in the guest’s cruise fare inside final payment, then the difference will be provided to guests in the form of a non-refundable onboard credit for use on the eligible alternative sailing. If RCI’s “best price guarantee” results in a decrease in the guest’s cruise fare outside final payment, the difference will be provided in a rate adjustment. “Vacation start date” means the date of the earlier of: (i) the scheduled embarkation of the cruise; or (ii) any pre-cruise hotel stay or Cruisetour package associated with the cruise and booked through RCI. If the guest chooses to move their booking to an eligible sailing in the subsequent year, any penalties previously assessed based on the prior sailing’s penalty schedule will follow the booking to the new sailing. The Future Cruise Credit portion of the “Cruise With Confidence” program will only apply to bookings for named guests for which cruise fares have been paid in full. If the guest opts to cancels his/her cruise, a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be issued for the cruise fare amounts paid to the cruise line. The FCC is non-transferrable and may not be redeemed for cash. The FCC’s value may be applied toward the cruise fare due on a new booking, on RCI for a sailing that is the later of on or before December 31, 2021, or 12 months after the date that the guest cancelled their original sailing . All bookings are subject to availability at the time of the request. If not used on or before the expiration date stated above, the FCC will automatically expire and have no cash value. Restrictions may apply on stateroom category and applicable pricing and promotions. Guest will remain responsible for paying the applicable deposit amounts, taxes/fees, port expenses and gratuities (if applicable) for the new booking. RCI’s “Cruise with Confidence” program does not apply to bookings made by residents of mainland China, and Hong Kong. Program does not apply to chartered sailings or contracted group bookings. RCI reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions at any time without prior notice or liability. Offer can be withdrawn at any time without notice.

I would have thought that means you cant give it to someone else? 

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34 minutes ago, MiguelB said:

Hello,

Due to the virus one of my cruises got canceled and i accepted the 125% FCC, to help royal caribbean and also to benefit from the 25% extra. Some days later i booked a cruise to january 2020 and used part of that FCC (the deposit was payed with a credit card). Now i am not sure if i will be able to do that january cruise and called RC to ask if i could change the dates. They told me that i would lose the FCC, that i used on that cruise, because it can only be used once. For me its very strange to lose the fcc if i cancel the cruise or change it before the final payment date. Can someone share some wisdom with me? Thanks.

Honestly, I think what they told you is not correct.  If you move your January cruise, your FCC should be re-issued.  I think they were mistaken.  I would certainly call back again....or better yet, transfer the booking that you just made to MEI and let them take care of it for you !!!

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8 minutes ago, marti314 said:

If you leave the language vague enough it can mean anything.  I dont know but you are right thats how Transferrable typically is used.  But in this case it could be used to say it can not be transferred to a new reservation also.  We as customers will never win.

Lawyers....

angry he man GIF

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1 minute ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Honestly, I think what they told you is not correct.  If you move your January cruise, your FCC should be re-issued.  I think they were mistaken.  I would certainly call back again....or better yet, transfer the booking that you just made to MEI and let them take care of it for you !!!

I hope you are correct, i dont want to lose my money...I have heard about MEI lots of time but i dont know if i can use them as i am not in the USA.

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5 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Honestly, I think what they told you is not correct.  If you move your January cruise, your FCC should be re-issued.  I think they were mistaken.  I would certainly call back again....or better yet, transfer the booking that you just made to MEI and let them take care of it for you !!!

^^^^^BEST advice right there! 

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5 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Yes, you can use MEI.  The only stipulation is that you must pay in USD $$.

Thanks, i will research that. 

I was very surprised when they told me that i would lose my fcc....So far i am very happy with RC. Even now with all this mess i think they are doing the right things.

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16 minutes ago, MiguelB said:

I hope you are correct, i dont want to lose my money...I have heard about MEI lots of time but i dont know if i can use them as i am not in the USA.

@MiguelB, you can definitely use MEI. I'm in Portugal too and currently have a booking with them.

However, if you made your booking in Portugal you won't be able to transfer it to MEI because Portuguese bookings are not made direct with Royal, they go through the local representative Melair, which is itself a travel agency. I think they might also not be able to handle bookings made in euro currency. ( @AnnetteJackson would you be able to clarify on this point at all?)

Apart from that there is also a time limit of 60 days after you book to be able to transfer it to a travel agent.

However, for the future, you can use the form on this page to be assigned a MEI travel agent or you can contact one directly using their e-mail addresses. Just look for the threads about MEI and you will usually find recommendations with contact details.

ETA: point about currency already clarified by @WAAAYTOOO while I was writing my answer.

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8 minutes ago, crisgold52 said:

Um everyone. I do this quite a lot and it often takes an hour or so of conversing with the post cruise team specifically. Whether it's under cruise with confidence or before final payment a GLOBAL SUSPENSION FCC or a CRUISE WITH CONFIDENCE FCC can be moved between reservation #'s as long as they are valid and not expired. The key is to connect with an RCL AGENT who knows the policy usually an RES AGENT or A POST CRUISE AGENT not regular front line agents. As an example up to last week I've been moving my FCC from a April cancelled cruise between my booking for November and my backups in FEB AND APRIL without problems. 

I thought all agents were the same and knew every rule....clearly i was wrong. What do i have to do to speak with one of the agents that know how to do that kind of stuff?

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9 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

@MiguelB, you can definitely use MEI. I'm in Portugal too and currently have a booking with them.

However, if you made your booking in Portugal you won't be able to transfer it to MEI because Portuguese bookings are not made direct with Royal, they go through the local representative Melair, which is itself a travel agency. I think they might also not be able to handle bookings made in euro currency. ( @AnnetteJackson would you be able to clarify on this point at all?)

Apart from that there is also a time limit of 60 days after you book to be able to transfer it to a travel agent.

However, for the future, you can use the form on this page to be assigned a MEI travel agent or you can contact one directly using their e-mail addresses. Just look for the threads about MEI and you will usually find recommendations with contact details.

ETA: point about currency already clarified by @WAAAYTOOO while I was writing my answer.

Hello! Thanks for your reply, i always choose Portugal in the Royal Caribbean site because i never know if i can book a cruise from the usa website...The rates sometime are different.

I also noticed that everytime i book a cruise i never get the email with the booking pdf, i always have to call them and ask for it. Also, in my confirmation invoice i have what i think is a TA. The name is IR WEB DIRECT PORTUGAL and it has an agent id. Can i just book a cruise in the USA website and then transfer it to a TA?

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4 minutes ago, crisgold52 said:

Also something I've learnt over the past year is that each agent can give differing answers SO MY RULE OF THUMB IS if you find an agent who is willing to fulfill your request I'd jump on it right away as the next agent you connect with may either not be aware or cross trained Haha. 

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

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24 minutes ago, MiguelB said:

Hello! Thanks for your reply, i always choose Portugal in the Royal Caribbean site because i never know if i can book a cruise from the usa website...The rates sometime are different.

I also noticed that everytime i book a cruise i never get the email with the booking pdf, i always have to call them and ask for it. Also, in my confirmation invoice i have what i think is a TA. The name is IR WEB DIRECT PORTUGAL and it has an agent id. Can i just book a cruise in the USA website and then transfer it to a TA?

Just replied to your PM Miguel :14_relaxed:

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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.

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6 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

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.  I 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.

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

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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. 

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You can spend YOUR TIME calling, holding, calling, holding, talking, repeat, repeat, (even with the travel agent line mentioned above) OR! Give it to an MEI travel agent. They will do everything that has been mentioned above, but they do it for you while you do other things. They are travel EXPERTS! I would not try to fix my own broken leg or represent myself in court. Experts do that for me if I need. Same with cruise reservations and FCC's. I let the travel agent do that, experts that are qualified and KNOW even when the Royal agent just might be wrong. You do what your good at. Let Mei do what they're good at FOR YOU.

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1 hour ago, Baked Alaska said:

You can spend YOUR TIME calling, holding, calling, holding, talking, repeat, repeat, (even with the travel agent line mentioned above) OR! Give it to an MEI travel agent. They will do everything that has been mentioned above, but they do it for you while you do other things. They are travel EXPERTS! I would not try to fix my own broken leg or represent myself in court. Experts do that for me if I need. Same with cruise reservations and FCC's. I let the travel agent do that, experts that are qualified and KNOW even when the Royal agent just might be wrong. You do what your good at. Let Mei do what they're good at FOR YOU.

Thanks for the advice, I will start doing that.

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