Update return to service dates

[smokeybandit]

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates

Um, I hope some of those are wrong otherwise I have a canceled cruise coming up

[columbus_cruiser]

Whelp my B2B on Brilliance has been cancelled. 

[Aulayan]

As someone who is exhaling a sigh of relief at Oasis' time, I think the fact people are finding out probable cancellations from this list instead of from Royal first to be pretty bad customer service.  You two should've been contacted by now.

[smokeybandit]

I have one canceled and would like to get another rebooked ASAP since that's a spring break week so there are only a couple options that fit the schedule. And get my FCC since of course any replacement cruise will be more expensive.

[Vancity Cruiser]

Looks like I have one cancelled but other 4 are a go

[PG Cruiser]

My cruising schedule is not looking good with this new return to service schedule.  I haven't even checked if the remaining sailings will leave from the ports in my original bookings.  This is all so chaotic... ai ai ai

  

[smokeybandit]

I just remembered we had a 2 BR GS on Rhapsody. That sucks.

[GatorCruiser]

My wife’s Brilliance cruise next month is cancelled but she’s just going to flip  it to freedom which has almost exact same dates for the cruise. 

[dee02554]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

I just remembered we had a 2 BR GS on Rhapsody. That sucks.

us too  but FB is sounding like they may switch everything over to the serenade of the seas ??????

[smokeybandit]

14 minutes ago, dee02554 said:

us too  but FB is sounding like they may switch everything over to the serenade of the seas ??????

Well hopefully that gets announced by tomorrow if that's true.

[twangster]

21 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Well hopefully that gets announced by tomorrow if that's true.

I was in January.  Rhapsody to Serenade.  

 

Dear Guest,

We've been diligently working to prepare for our Royal Comeback. It's taken months of planning and coordinating to get up and running - from activating new homeports and communicating with local governments and authorities, to ensuring our new protocols maintain your wellbeing with our Healthy Sail Panel.

As we continue to review our itinerary plans, we've decided to reposition some of our ships in anticipation of our return to cruising. Our original plan for Rhapsody of the Seas was to begin offering sailings departing from Tampa, Florida beginning December 2021. However, Serenade of the Seas will now take its place. 

Unfortunately, this means your Rhapsody of the Seas sailing will be cancelled. However, Serenade of the Seas will offer similar itineraries, so we'll automatically move you to the corresponding Serenade of the Seas sailing beginning August 3^rd, 2021. This way, you'll still have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful destinations you were looking forward to!

We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation and apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change. While we're confident you'll have an amazing time onboard Serenade of the Seas, your vacation is important to us - along with providing you the flexibility to make the best decision for you and those in your party. Below, we've outlined your options along with a few additional details.

Option 1: Stay onboard the Serenade of the Seas cruise

• Beginning August 3^rd, 2021, we'll automatically move you to the Serenade of the Seas sailing departing on the same day as your original cruise. So, there's nothing for you to do!
• Your new sailing will offer similar destinations as your original cruise, and it'll depart from the same destination.
• Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. 
  • If you were already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide you with a refund for any difference in pricing. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment 30 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• Lastly, as we return to service, our sailing protocols will evolve. To stay informed and up-to-date, please visitRoyalCaribbean.com/Health.

Option 2: Select a 100% Refund

• If you no longer wish to sail, we'll be sad to see you go. We'll process a full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare to the original form(s) of payment, including any non-refundable deposit.
  • You can expect to receive your refund 30 business days after you submit your refund request. 
• If you booked your airfare through Royal Caribbean International, it will be automatically refunded to you. However, if you booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them.
• Lastly, if you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing, and you request a refund instead, we'll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we'll reinstate your original certificate. 

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to shifting an entire season of sailings and rebooking all guests, so please bear with us as we work to make this process as easy as possible for you. All moves for individual bookings will be completed by August 18^th, 2021, and all moves for group bookings will be completed by September 8^th, 2021. We'll send an updated reservation confirmation with your revised details to the email address on file as soon as your reservation has been completely updated. If you prefer to cancel your cruise, please call us at 888-281-9344 or contact your Travel Advisor by August 24^th, 2021. And know, hold times may be longer than usual. If we haven't heard from you by August 24^th, 2021, you'll remain booked on the alternate Serenade of the Seas sailing. Should you decide to cancel after our moves are complete, you will continue to be covered by our Cruise with Confidence policy.

If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at:

• 1 800 754 500 in Australia
• 0344 493 4005 in the U.K. 
• 1 866 562 7625 in the U.S. or Canada
• All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

Thank you for your understanding. We hope you find another cruise vacation with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge - we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez

AVP | Guest Experience

Royal Caribbean International

[CrznTxn]

We lost our September 26 Liberty sailing since they are not starting until October 3. So there will not be a sailing that week other than a charter cruise that we were bumped from.

[WAAAYTOOO]

We lost Vision out of Puerto Rico for Oct 30, 2021.  It looks like they have cancelled all of the PR sailings for Vision.

Here is a list of the cancelled sailings for the next couple of months

[PG Cruiser]

Looks like it's not only the dates that have changed.  Has somebody checked out the home ports for the ships in the new schedule?  

I'm looking at a sailing of the Oasis in November 2021.  On the website, it's sailing from Miami.  But in the return to service schedule, it will start sailing from Bayonne in September.  Will it reposition two months after it returns to service?

[WesKinetic]

RIP my 10-day Christmas cruise on Vision. 

[FionaMG]

6 hours ago, PG Cruiser said:

Looks like it's not only the dates that have changed.  Has somebody checked out the home ports for the ships in the new schedule?  

I'm looking at a sailing of the Oasis in November 2021.  On the website, it's sailing from Miami.  But in the return to service schedule, it will start sailing from Bayonne in September.  Will it reposition two months after it returns to service?

I think she was due to reposition anyway because she's not a cold weather ship. The winter cruises out of NJ are on Anthem which will be returning from Europe towards the end of October. 

[twangster]

9 hours ago, PG Cruiser said:

Looks like it's not only the dates that have changed.  Has somebody checked out the home ports for the ships in the new schedule?  

I'm looking at a sailing of the Oasis in November 2021.  On the website, it's sailing from Miami.  But in the return to service schedule, it will start sailing from Bayonne in September.  Will it reposition two months after it returns to service?

When Anthem returns to Bayonne, Oasis has always been scheduled to return to Florida for the winter.

It's encouraging to see they are still trying to restart Oasis from Bayonne in September rather than scrapping the entire Bayonne summer/fall Oasis debut.  

If you want to do Oasis from the Big Apple (area) you'll need to do it before November 2021 or wait until next year, but even next year Oasis leaves for Florida before November 2022. 

[PG Cruiser]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

If you want to do Oasis from the Big Apple (area) you'll need to do it before November 2021

 

I definitely would like to cruise from the Big Apple someday but, for this year, I want to board on the Oasis from Miami or Fort Lauderdale.  I'm looking for a replacement for my Radiance booking for a series of side-to-sides.

Odyssey Nov 15 - Radiance Nov 21 Oasis Nov 21 - Freedom Nov 29

[cruisinghawg]

10 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We lost Vision out of Puerto Rico for Oct 30, 2021.  It looks like they have cancelled all of the PR sailings for Vision.

Here is a list of the cancelled sailings for the next couple of months

Will they switch you over to Explorer?

[WAAAYTOOO]

2 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

Will they switch you over to Explorer?

Nope.  Since it was a casino comp the only thing they will do is reinstate the offer that was used in the original booking.  No price protection or shifting for a casino comp.  I'm ok with it.  Chances are I would have had to cancel anyway unless the vax protocols lighten up, which I do NOT expect.

[Yo2slick]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Nope.  Since it was a casino comp the only thing they will do is reinstate the offer that was used in the original booking.  No price protection or shifting for a casino comp.  I'm ok with it.  Chances are I would have had to cancel anyway unless the vax protocols lighten up, which I do NOT expect.

Have they said how they will handle cancelations due to the entire vax issue?  I have 2 cruises booked and will only go if things lighten up.

[cruisinghawg]

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Nope.  Since it was a casino comp the only thing they will do is reinstate the offer that was used in the original booking.  No price protection or shifting for a casino comp.  I'm ok with it.  Chances are I would have had to cancel anyway unless the vax protocols lighten up, which I do NOT expect.

Yes just listened in on part of The coffee talk and no idea on when there will be a return to normalcy. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, Yo2slick said:

Have they said how they will handle cancelations due to the entire vax issue?  I have 2 cruises booked and will only go if things lighten up.

Actually, I have (so far) only cancelled 1 cruise due to vax protocols (8-21-21 AL) so I'm not sure if the casino comps cancellations will be a different process or not.  I suspect that they will follow the same rules of cancellation (due to vax protocols) as regular cruises but who knows.

As for the one that I did cancel, I had an excellent outcome for that one.  They cancelled for a cash refund which includes all of the (~$10K) FCCs that were on that one, plus another $1K in cash.  I give all of the credit for that to @michelleat MEI.  She made all of that happen and I could not be more grateful.  I have not actually seen the $$ credited back to my credit card yet for any of that refund but I don't really expect to see that for a while.  If, for some reason, they do not honor their agreement to refund all of those FCC's, trust me, you will all know about it.  For now, I am trusting their word that all will be refunded.

[Wolfpackfan]

I notice it says that Allure is sailing out of Port Canaveral. We have her booked for next April out of Ft. Lauderdale. I guess she will be moved at some point?

[PG Cruiser]

57 minutes ago, Wolfpackfan said:

I notice it says that Allure is sailing out of Port Canaveral. We have her booked for next April out of Ft. Lauderdale. I guess she will be moved at some point?

Allure will be sailing from either Miami or Lauderdale in November this year.  I know because I’m looking at a booking on it to replace my Radiance sailing from there.

[smokeybandit]

Got my March 2022 cruise moved to a ship that should actually sail.  Of course it's 20% more expensive for a lesser cabin. Oh well.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, Wolfpackfan said:

I notice it says that Allure is sailing out of Port Canaveral. We have her booked for next April out of Ft. Lauderdale. I guess she will be moved at some point?

 

48 minutes ago, PG Cruiser said:

Allure will be sailing from either Miami or Lauderdale in November this year.  I know because I’m looking at a booking on it to replace my Radiance sailing from there.

Allure is sailing out Port Everglades this December, I am booked on that one.  Hopefully I make it.

[PG Cruiser]

Thanks to my ever reliable TA, @StephanieH, my initial disappointment and frustration over these schedule changes and cancellations has been replaced with excitement.

My bookings for November are now:

Odyssey NOV 15 - Oasis NOV 21 - Freedom NOV 29

 

My original bookings were:

Odyssey NOV 15 - Radiance NOV 21 - Freedom NOV 26 - Freedom NOV 29

[smokeybandit]

[smokeybandit]

Has anyone gotten FCCs yet for these newly canceled cruises?  Supposedly Sept 5 is when RC expects to have them all issued, but I want to know if I need to start bugging my TA (my pre-MEI TA) if they're in yet so I can get a replacement cruise off of hold.

[nate91]

I called in yesterday and spent 2.5 hours trying to get two FCCs applied. One was from three months ago and still has not been applied, Royal had to speak with a supervisor to get that one taken care of.

[smokeybandit]

Just got my FCC from the most recent round of cancelations. Which is odd since I thought the TA got them when a TA was involved. Unless he got them too

[Scooter6251]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Just got my FCC from the most recent round of cancelations. Which is odd since I thought the TA got them when a TA was involved. Unless he got them too

You both get them.

[Jennifer Burke]

On 8/4/2021 at 3:44 PM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

 

Allure is sailing out Port Everglades this December, I am booked on that one.  Hopefully I make it.

And out of Fort Lauderdale on 12/5