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Refundable vs. nonrefundable, deposits vs. fares?


Rfk

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I'm trying to get a grip on the differences between these, in anticipation of booking family cruise later this year to sail in 2023.  Family of five, figure we'll book two connecting balcony cabins when the time comes.

Deposits - two different amounts possible, depending on whether you book refundable or nonrefundable deposit?  Is the difference per person, or per room (I think I saw example of the latter on a separate thread)?  And this can be changed from refundable to nonrefundable at any time until full payment is due, typically 90 days prior to sailing? 

Fares - two different amounts possible, based on nature of deposit that's in place when final payment is made (refundable vs. nonrefundable)?  As you get closer to final due date (up to 90 days prior) and become very confident of sailing, might you want to convert a refundable deposit to nonrefundable, to capture nonrefundable fare vs. refundable?  And/or, is it possible that the refundable fare you may have booked previously could actually be lower than nonrefundable fare if you do that late conversion, up to 90 days prior to sailing?

There may be easy answers to these questions (and maybe easier ways to ask them)...  Any planning insight is helpful, thanks! 

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3 hours ago, Rfk said:

I'm trying to get a grip on the differences between these, in anticipation of booking family cruise later this year to sail in 2023.  Family of five, figure we'll book two connecting balcony cabins when the time comes.

Deposits - two different amounts possible, depending on whether you book refundable or nonrefundable deposit?  Is the difference per person, or per room (I think I saw example of the latter on a separate thread)?  And this can be changed from refundable to nonrefundable at any time until full payment is due, typically 90 days prior to sailing? 

Fares - two different amounts possible, based on nature of deposit that's in place when final payment is made (refundable vs. nonrefundable)?  As you get closer to final due date (up to 90 days prior) and become very confident of sailing, might you want to convert a refundable deposit to nonrefundable, to capture nonrefundable fare vs. refundable?  And/or, is it possible that the refundable fare you may have booked previously could actually be lower than nonrefundable fare if you do that late conversion, up to 90 days prior to sailing?

There may be easy answers to these questions (and maybe easier ways to ask them)...  Any planning insight is helpful, thanks! 

The deposits are the same whether the cruise is booked refundable or nonrefundable.  The price of the cruise is higher when it is booked refundable.  When you receive a cruise vacation receipt you won't see any refundable fee itemized but you will have paid more for the cruise than if you had booked nonrefundable.

The refundable "fee" is actually a price increase and varies widely from one cruise to the next.  It even varies depending on the stateroom that you book.  When you look at your cruise planner receipt, you will see NRD in several places to designate that you booked nonrefundable.  The NRD will be missing if you booked refundable.

You can pay the refundable price and later change it to a nonrefundable price.   When you do this you may or may not save money because the cruise will be repriced at the nonrefundable price on the day you make the change.  Sometimes (usually) it is better to keep the refundable price you paid when you first booked.

it is hard to explain but I hope this helps.

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6 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

The deposits are the same whether the cruise is booked refundable or nonrefundable.  The price of the cruise is higher when it is booked refundable.  When you receive a cruise vacation receipt you won't see any refundable fee itemized but you will have paid more for the cruise than if you had booked nonrefundable.

The refundable "fee" is actually a price increase and varies widely from one cruise to the next.  It even varies depending on the stateroom that you book.  When you look at your cruise planner receipt, you will see NRD in several places to designate that you booked nonrefundable.  The NRD will be missing if you booked refundable.

You can pay the refundable price and later change it to a nonrefundable price.   When you do this you may or may not save money because the cruise will be repriced at the nonrefundable price on the day you make the change.  Sometimes (usually) it is better to keep the refundable price you paid when you first booked.

it is hard to explain but I hope this helps.

Thanks for comments.  When you say "the refundable price you paid when you first booked" - is that a refundable fare that you've locked in when paying the deposit, which is "the same whether the cruise is booked refundable or nonrefundable."  So deposit is the same at time of booking, regardless of refundable/non-refundable fare, but you're contracting for a refundable/non-refundable fare at that time, balance of which is due 90 days prior to sailing.  Is that about right?

And over time, that initial refundable fare/balance due may prove to be less costly than converting to non-refundable fare, closer to sailing date?  Right?  Hypothetically, could you covert from refundable to non-refundable fare the day prior to sailing?  (Assuming you'd only want to do so for a better fare.)

Thanks again.

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You can switch from refundable to non-refundable, but not vice versa.  So yes, prior to sailing you can revert, however I am not sure if you could do so the day before- that might be too late. I'd do it before final payment. 

Almost always the refundable is more, but not every single category on every single sailing. But in general this is a good rule to follow. 

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1 hour ago, Rfk said:

So deposit is the same at time of booking, regardless of refundable/non-refundable fare, but you're contracting for a refundable/non-refundable fare at that time, balance of which is due 90 days prior to sailing.  Is that about right?

And over time, that initial refundable fare/balance due may prove to be less costly than converting to non-refundable fare, closer to sailing date?  Right?  Hypothetically, could you covert from refundable to non-refundable fare the day prior to sailing?  (Assuming you'd only want to do so for a better fare.)

The above sounds correct --- I agree with @Sharla that you can only convert from refundable to nonrefundable before the final payment date.

The following example shows what happens:

Cruise Fare            $2000                     compared to            Cruise Fare      $2000

Discounts NRD      $  500                                                       Discounts        $  250

Total charge          $1500                                                        Total Charge   $1750

Deposit paid          $ 500                                                        Deposit Paid   $  500

Amount Due          $1000                                                        Amount Due    $1250

Royal charges the refundable "fee" by decreasing the discounts --- in this case to book refundable costs you $250.

I didn't dream up their system so don't blame me if it doesn't make sense.

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2 hours ago, Matt said:

Here's a breakdown of refundable versus non-refundable cruise fares

My advice these days is to always book refundable cruise fare

All true but should be updated because cruise with confidence waives change fees for example.  Now days I think hard about booking refundable when the price is increased so much that it costs more than the deposit that I'm trying to protect.

It seems to me that booking nonrefundable in combination with cruise with confidence gets you most of the flexibility you would otherwise only get by booking refundable with the exception of a refund if I decide to cancel.

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12 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

All true but should be updated because cruise with confidence waives change fees for example.  Now days I think hard about booking refundable when the price is increased so much that it costs more than the deposit that I'm trying to protect.

It seems to me that booking nonrefundable in combination with cruise with confidence gets you most of the flexibility you would otherwise only get by booking refundable. 

Correct, however even with Cruise with Confidence if you cancel before Royal Caribbean does you do not get a refund, you get FCC. That has been a factor for some people, burned by non-refundable deposit. 

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6 minutes ago, Sharla said:

Correct, however even with Cruise with Confidence if you cancel before Royal Caribbean does you do not get a refund, you get FCC. That has been a factor for some people, burned by non-refundable deposit. 

I was in the process of adding that.  ?  with the exception of a refund if I decide to cancel.

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1 hour ago, Matt said:

As @Sharla noted, the issue is the ability to get your cash back. This is a major sticking issue for some people.

Thanks for info!  So does the term "nonrefundable" really apply to just the deposit, up to 90 days prior?  Then if you've booked as such originally and don't provide final payment 90 days out, you lose that deposit.  This is in return for locking in lower balance due at 90 days prior?

Then once you make that final payment, 90 days prior or earlier, then that too is nonrefundable?  At time of payment, even if before 90 days prior?  If so, is there any incentive to make final payment on nonrefundable fare prior to the 90 day prior deadline?

Thanks again.

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2 hours ago, Rfk said:

Thanks for info!  So does the term "nonrefundable" really apply to just the deposit, up to 90 days prior?  Then if you've booked as such originally and don't provide final payment 90 days out, you lose that deposit.  This is in return for locking in lower balance due at 90 days prior?

Then once you make that final payment, 90 days prior or earlier, then that too is nonrefundable?  At time of payment, even if before 90 days prior?  If so, is there any incentive to make final payment on nonrefundable fare prior to the 90 day prior deadline?

Thanks again.

Right- refundable and non-refundable deposit only. Until final payment that’s the only thing to worry about. 

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3 hours ago, Rfk said:

Thanks for info!  So does the term "nonrefundable" really apply to just the deposit, up to 90 days prior?  Then if you've booked as such originally and don't provide final payment 90 days out, you lose that deposit.  This is in return for locking in lower balance due at 90 days prior?

Then once you make that final payment, 90 days prior or earlier, then that too is nonrefundable?  At time of payment, even if before 90 days prior?  If so, is there any incentive to make final payment on nonrefundable fare prior to the 90 day prior deadline?

Thanks again.

There are no incentives to paying off your cruise fare early.

If you are not sure about your dates (or even if you are) and you are booking a cruise more than 6 months out I would suggest booking the refundable fare because anything can happen.  And like others have already pointed out if you are sure you're going on the cruise you can simply switch it to a non-refundable fare if the non-refundable fare is the better deal.  A lot of people were burned and are still upset with cruise lines because they booked a non-refundable fare.

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