Jim S Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 I have today received an updated set of booking conditions (16 pages) for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise on Anthem for August 2022. Having read through the plethora of additional conditions now being posed by RCI in respect of COVID-19 and Health Protection Measures, I find them to be totally unreasonable, extremely onerous and in some cases may even be illegal (in the UK). They impose huge potential liabilities in terms of risk and costs that I am not prepared to accept. I am now in the process of cancelling this cruise and the other RCI cruises that I have booked and am now seeking a full cash refund for each of them. I suggest that anyone who has booked or is considering booking a European cruise with RCI should carefully read these new conditions before going ahead. Just a “heads up” so that you are aware of this. We also have two P&O European cruises booked for 2021 and 2022 as well as an MSC UK Islands cruise next month and neither P&O or MSC have imposed anything other than what I would call reasonable and understandable conditions in respect of COVID-19. It is totally understandable that due to COVID-19 the cruise companies need to impose a number of additional precautions and restrictions but I think that RCI have gone completely overboard (excuse the pun) with them and many potential passengers will not accept what RCI are imposing and go to another cruise line who are much more reasonable and understanding about what the normal passenger is willing to accept to get onboard a cruise ship. Neesa, Allen2, Ogilthorpe and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 Can you post the booking conditions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinghawg Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 Yes I would like to know what these are as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted May 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 It includes a lot of pages. I will see what I can do to publish them. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 You can try scanning the document and uploading it. I'm curious to see what RCG has in store for us. Thank you for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike.s Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 https://www.royalcaribbean.com/gbr/en/resources/booking-conditions These are the UK current UK booking conditions, not read them but which ones caused your concern? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted May 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 It includes a lot of pages. I will see what I can do to publish them. Here they are:- ImportantInfo - RoyalCaribbeanCruiseOnly (7732277).pdf ImportantInfo - RoyalCaribbeanCruiseOnly (7732277) 2.pdf sk8erguy1978, Neesa and twangster 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted May 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 10 minutes ago, Mike.s said: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/gbr/en/resources/booking-conditions These are the UK current UK booking conditions, not read them but which ones caused your concern? The new conditions are supplementary COVID-19 and Health Protection conditions, which I only found out about today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlantix2000 Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Jim S said: I have today received an updated set of booking conditions (16 pages) for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise on Anthem for August 2022. Do you really think what they send you today will still be the rules 15 months from now? For perspective, remember that 15 months ago was pre-lockdowns. If your soonest cruise is in August 2022, I wouldn't take any action today. I'll be surprised if very many Covid restrictions still exist by then. Heymarco, dee02554, SPS and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 Thank you for sharing. What a read it was. I can't believe that the "luggage will be electrostatically sprayed after you leave it outside your stateroom for collection, and we must wear any disposable gloves and any protective clothing if this is provided to you for use during the disembarkation process." Not worth doing laundry onboard. Just give me a decontamination suit to wear the entire cruise. Sheesh!! Sharla, Neesa, Ogilthorpe and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0_0 Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 This seems more like a legal CYA than anything else. With all the different countries cruise ships visit they want to make sure guests that are unhappy with additional restrictions, can't come back and sue them because the government where they stop or cruise from imposes additional lockdowns/rules/etc. Craig 01020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neesa Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 7 minutes ago, 0_0 said: This seems more like a legal CYA than anything else. With all the different countries cruise ships visit they want to make sure guests that are unhappy with additional restrictions, can't come back and sue them because the government where they stop or cruise from imposes additional lockdowns/rules/etc. I agree with this statement above. I thought that having everyone cleared via antigen test upon disembarkation would have covered any "liability" or blame afterwards because in reality company's and anyone with "deep pockets" are always being sued for everything but this is "overboard" (pun intended) Sadly, this is the world we live in today. Company's are going crazy in order to shield themselves from the exposure, I believe they figure if you want to enjoy our product you will do it while we are fully protected. I can absolutely envision a scenario of someone getting sick somewhere else & saying BUT I was on a sailing a few days ago so let me dial up Morgan & Morgan, ring ring....I caught COVID on a cruise shop ding ding ding! Excessive YES, but I so get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 I imagine too the legal exercise has to be played out for every region they sail from. COVID-19... putting more lawyers in luxury yachts than any virus before it. DJsMrs, Neesa, Baked Alaska and 5 others 3 1 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted May 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Atlantix2000 said: Do you really think what they send you today will still be the rules 15 months from now? For perspective, remember that 15 months ago was pre-lockdowns. If your soonest cruise is in August 2022, I wouldn't take any action today. I'll be surprised if very many Covid restrictions still exist by then. You may be correct, but what they issued today will stand for 2022 unless RCI amend and reissue the conditions. I am not taking any chances and rejecting these supplementary conditions now. My TA issued them along with the updated booking details. It was a Lift & Shift from our August 2021 cruise that was cancelled in March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 i personally believe that any COVID related items will be in the terms for the rest of time. The receipts i have still list things about the ZIKA virus. Stay Safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted May 13, 2021 Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 I am booked on Anthem this coming Sept out of Southampton. Have not rec'd any notice of conditions. It seems strange to get them for next year when things are changing so much. I also expect my Sept Anthem cruise to be cancelled but who knows? Or I will cancel because they cannot port in the countries that I wanted to see, maybe only UK ports. I also do not know when they will accept US passengers. I just keep getting cancelled and keep making more booking reservations....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_resh_uh Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 We anticipate that a number of our cruises will have no ports of call in the itinerary and this will be made clear at the time of booking. For cruises which do included scheduled ports of call, we will do our best to ensure that, where guests are able to disembark the ship, they are able to do so individually, although we may need to restrict disembarkation to guests who participate in shore excursions which are provided by us. Our ability to provide shore excursions is heavily dependent on local laws and regulations therefore some amenities in various destinations may be restricted or closed, and movement may be restricted due to physical distancing requirements. When you are either disembarking or embarking the ship at a port of call, you may be subject to additional mandatory health screening and checks. We will provide you with details of any additional health screening and checks prior to disembarkation at a port of call. Please note that the local authorities in the port of call may also require additional screening and testing of guests at the point of disembarkation and/or embarkation and you must comply with these requirements. Failure to comply with any of these health screening and checks or testing requirements will be considered a breach of the Guest Health Safety and Conduct Policy and your contract with us which may result in denial of boarding or disembarkation from the ship. Please note that we have no liability for injury or loss sustained in connection with shore excursions, subject to applicable law. From page 8. I guess you have to decide/be prepared to be completely unable to actually visit any port of call on your itinerary. It's one thing if a port gets shifted or skipped (happens during regular time). It's an entirely different matter if they feel the need to control your experience even when you're not on the ship. Part of the risk/reward analysis I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 46 minutes ago, b_resh_uh said: We anticipate that a number of our cruises will have no ports of call in the itinerary and this will be made clear at the time of booking. For cruises which do included scheduled ports of call, we will do our best to ensure that, where guests are able to disembark the ship, they are able to do so individually, although we may need to restrict disembarkation to guests who participate in shore excursions which are provided by us. Our ability to provide shore excursions is heavily dependent on local laws and regulations therefore some amenities in various destinations may be restricted or closed, and movement may be restricted due to physical distancing requirements. When you are either disembarking or embarking the ship at a port of call, you may be subject to additional mandatory health screening and checks. We will provide you with details of any additional health screening and checks prior to disembarkation at a port of call. Please note that the local authorities in the port of call may also require additional screening and testing of guests at the point of disembarkation and/or embarkation and you must comply with these requirements. Failure to comply with any of these health screening and checks or testing requirements will be considered a breach of the Guest Health Safety and Conduct Policy and your contract with us which may result in denial of boarding or disembarkation from the ship. Please note that we have no liability for injury or loss sustained in connection with shore excursions, subject to applicable law. From page 8. I guess you have to decide/be prepared to be completely unable to actually visit any port of call on your itinerary. It's one thing if a port gets shifted or skipped (happens during regular time). It's an entirely different matter if they feel the need to control your experience even when you're not on the ship. Part of the risk/reward analysis I guess. The cruise lines that have been sailing have been doing the "cruise bubble" or "cruises to nowhere" for several months now. I'm not surprised that RCI has reserved the right to do the same. I'm actually surprised they are only reserving the right rather than saying they are going to do this. So yes, it is a risk/reward thing you need to consider before going on your trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisemad888 Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 I think it is very reasonable if you want to cruise cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXcruzer Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 1 hour ago, steverk said: The cruise lines that have been sailing have been doing the "cruise bubble" or "cruises to nowhere" for several months now. I'm not surprised that RCI has reserved the right to do the same. I'm actually surprised they are only reserving the right rather than saying they are going to do this. So yes, it is a risk/reward thing you need to consider before going on your trip. They can not just say they are going to do cruises to nowhere; under current regulations that is not permitted from USA ports. LifesEz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 56 minutes ago, TXcruzer said: They can not just say they are going to do cruises to nowhere; under current regulations that is not permitted from USA ports. I was referring to the cruises so far, none of which involved the US. The quote from RCI doesn't say if it involves a US based cruise or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 It's just contract verbiage to make it clear what could happen. The cruise line is not guaranteeing the itinerary as booked. Bob_KY 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 3 hours ago, b_resh_uh said: We anticipate that a number of our cruises will have no ports of call in the itinerary and this will be made clear at the time of booking. For cruises which do included scheduled ports of call, we will do our best to ensure that, where guests are able to disembark the ship, they are able to do so individually, although we may need to restrict disembarkation to guests who participate in shore excursions which are provided by us. Our ability to provide shore excursions is heavily dependent on local laws and regulations therefore some amenities in various destinations may be restricted or closed, and movement may be restricted due to physical distancing requirements. When you are either disembarking or embarking the ship at a port of call, you may be subject to additional mandatory health screening and checks. We will provide you with details of any additional health screening and checks prior to disembarkation at a port of call. Please note that the local authorities in the port of call may also require additional screening and testing of guests at the point of disembarkation and/or embarkation and you must comply with these requirements. Failure to comply with any of these health screening and checks or testing requirements will be considered a breach of the Guest Health Safety and Conduct Policy and your contract with us which may result in denial of boarding or disembarkation from the ship. Please note that we have no liability for injury or loss sustained in connection with shore excursions, subject to applicable law. From page 8. I guess you have to decide/be prepared to be completely unable to actually visit any port of call on your itinerary. It's one thing if a port gets shifted or skipped (happens during regular time). It's an entirely different matter if they feel the need to control your experience even when you're not on the ship. Part of the risk/reward analysis I guess. So there's a good reason to book the ship with the most toys. JimnKathy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Cruisemad888 said: I think it is very reasonable if you want to cruise I would be good with being on an "O" or "Q" class ship making circles. Floski and JimnKathy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 On 5/12/2021 at 7:41 AM, Jim S said: I have today received an updated set of booking conditions (16 pages) for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise on Anthem for August 2022. Having read through the plethora of additional conditions now being posed by RCI in respect of COVID-19 and Health Protection Measures, I find them to be totally unreasonable, extremely onerous and in some cases may even be illegal (in the UK). They impose huge potential liabilities in terms of risk and costs that I am not prepared to accept. I am now in the process of cancelling this cruise and the other RCI cruises that I have booked and am now seeking a full cash refund for each of them. I suggest that anyone who has booked or is considering booking a European cruise with RCI should carefully read these new conditions before going ahead. Just a “heads up” so that you are aware of this. We also have two P&O European cruises booked for 2021 and 2022 as well as an MSC UK Islands cruise next month and neither P&O or MSC have imposed anything other than what I would call reasonable and understandable conditions in respect of COVID-19. It is totally understandable that due to COVID-19 the cruise companies need to impose a number of additional precautions and restrictions but I think that RCI have gone completely overboard (excuse the pun) with them and many potential passengers will not accept what RCI are imposing and go to another cruise line who are much more reasonable and understanding about what the normal passenger is willing to accept to get onboard a cruise ship. I just spent a valuable minute of my life reading this post and there are no conditions listed. Please let us know what the conditions are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimnKathy Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 4 hours ago, cruisellama said: I would be good with being on an "O" or "Q" class ship making circles. We have a B2B on Symphony departing Sep 18...we'd be thrilled to do nothing but one Coco Cay visit two weeks in a row while spending the rest of the days at sea. cruisellama, SpeedNoodles, Neesa and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1 Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 11 hours ago, b_resh_uh said: We anticipate that a number of our cruises will have no ports of call in the itinerary and this will be made clear at the time of booking. For cruises which do included scheduled ports of call, we will do our best to ensure that, where guests are able to disembark the ship, they are able to do so individually, although we may need to restrict disembarkation to guests who participate in shore excursions which are provided by us. Our ability to provide shore excursions is heavily dependent on local laws and regulations therefore some amenities in various destinations may be restricted or closed, and movement may be restricted due to physical distancing requirements. When you are either disembarking or embarking the ship at a port of call, you may be subject to additional mandatory health screening and checks. We will provide you with details of any additional health screening and checks prior to disembarkation at a port of call. Please note that the local authorities in the port of call may also require additional screening and testing of guests at the point of disembarkation and/or embarkation and you must comply with these requirements. Failure to comply with any of these health screening and checks or testing requirements will be considered a breach of the Guest Health Safety and Conduct Policy and your contract with us which may result in denial of boarding or disembarkation from the ship. Please note that we have no liability for injury or loss sustained in connection with shore excursions, subject to applicable law. From page 8. I guess you have to decide/be prepared to be completely unable to actually visit any port of call on your itinerary. It's one thing if a port gets shifted or skipped (happens during regular time). It's an entirely different matter if they feel the need to control your experience even when you're not on the ship. Part of the risk/reward analysis I guess. See,,, This is already dated and not likely. CDC green lit the "self exploration" in ports , a few days ago. With things so fluid I'm really surprised at how jumpy people are. Nothing set in stone at this time... Definitely CYA stuff. surprised they don't have a meteor disclaimer... PRebecca, JimnKathy, TXcruzer and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 On 5/18/2021 at 12:17 AM, tonyfsu21 said: I just spent a valuable minute of my life reading this post and there are no conditions listed. Please let us know what the conditions are. See my post dated May 12th where I provided links to the conditions in question. The 7th post that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted June 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 Well it looks like we will not be booking any more RCI cruises, at least for the foreseeable future. Our TA contacted RCI and they confirmed that the new TC’s that I posted earlier in this thread will be in force for all future cruises for at least another 12 months. Looks like P&O, MSC and Cunard will be getting our bookings from now on, as they are all taking a much more reasonable and realistic approach to the pandemic situation. fireclan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icf75 Posted June 2, 2021 Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 3 hours ago, Jim S said: Well it looks like we will not be booking any more RCI cruises, at least for the foreseeable future. Our TA contacted RCI and they confirmed that the new TC’s that I posted earlier in this thread will be in force for all future cruises for at least another 12 months. Looks like P&O, MSC and Cunard will be getting our bookings from now on, as they are all taking a much more reasonable and realistic approach to the pandemic situation. So would these apply to my aug 21 Allure from Port Canaveral? As I contacted RC yesterday and they had no info for me?? Have just spoke with RC again and they maintain that these terms could change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted June 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 Not sure where these new TC’s will be applied. So far I have been advised that they apply to UK and European sailings for 2021 and 2022. I am not prepared to accept them and want a refund for any of the booked cruises where they’re to be applied. I did not get informed about these conditions when I booked each of my three RCI cruises, departing May 22, Aug 22 and Oct 22. They were only presented to me recently when RCI updated the details for the Aug 22 cruise. My TA has advised me to wait until just before the final balance is due, by which time the situation may have changed. If it doesn’t, then I will be requesting a full refund for the amounts paid. fireclan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted June 4, 2021 Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 I have an October 2022 on Odyssey out of Rome and I’ve received nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted June 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 19 hours ago, Jill said: I have an October 2022 on Odyssey out of Rome and I’ve received nothing. RCI are not consistent with the new TC’s. We also have two other cruises booked for May 22 on Allure out of Barcelona and October 22 on Odyssey (maybe the same cruise that you are on) out of Rome and they have not applied the conditions to those cruises (yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 41 minutes ago, Jim S said: RCI are not consistent with the new TC’s. We also have two other cruises booked for May 22 on Allure out of Barcelona and October 22 on Odyssey (maybe the same cruise that you are on) out of Rome and they have not applied the conditions to those cruises (yet). We’re on the 12 night Holy Land October 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim S Posted June 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 19 hours ago, Jill said: We’re on the 12 night Holy Land October 7 Our Holy Land 12 night cruise is 19th October from Rome. You are getting off as we get on the ship. Jill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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