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So...YOLO booking is real...


Chadster

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I sorta went on a bit of a spree with some money I've had socked away, and now I can attest to the fact that YOLO booking is indeed a thing. ?

September 26, 2021: Oasis out of Cape Liberty (7 days)

December 24, 2021: Anthem out of Cape Liberty (Christmas at sea!) (7 days)

December 31, 2021: Anthem out of Cape Liberty again! (Why not be at sea to welcome in 2022?) (9 days)

UPDATED AFTER SAGE FORUM ADVICE: May 1, 2022: Serenade out of Vancouver (North to Alaska...and back...) (7 days)

All of these happen during breaks for me with school and will celebrate milestones in said schooling since I'm getting toward the final phase.

If they all go off without a hitch, I'll be Diamond for the second leg of the holiday B2B and Diamond Plus at the end of the Alaska cruise; the one on Oasis will be my first Royal cruise (not for a lack of trying over the last 18 months!). These points will apparently really stack up with the bonus and because I'm cruising solo.

You people are a bad influence! ?

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On top of it all, I got the same cabin on the B2B cruises! That was tricky -- when I was looking yesterday, cabin inventory suddenly started plummeting, so it took me a bit to get just what I wanted.

Due to the time of year, I decided against a balcony and instead got one of the fore-facing cabins. It should be an interesting experience!

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I don't believe in YOLO booking!  There's no such thing!

The only reason I have six cruises booked (as of now) is because I only have one life - so fragile - you're here today, gone tomorrow.  I want to make the most of it, doing the things I love as much as I can before I bid this earth goodbye.  I don't think there are cruises in the afterlife.

Again let me reiterate, I don't believe in YOLO booking!  It's a myth

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48 minutes ago, Donna G said:

Fantastic!  I wish my husband could take the time off to cruise that much.  Counting the days to retirement so we can YOLO book back to back cruises too.  

 

51 minutes ago, LovetoCruise87 said:

I guarantee that when we retire the first thing to do is a back to back!

I hope you get to! We all need cruises in our lives again -- and let's face it...2 cruises are even better than one! ?

I haven't gotten to travel in nearly 3 years, so when I saw I could line all of these up with my schedule, I jumped at it! I'm lucky to have the time off I get and I know it won't always be like this for me, so I'm trying to take advantage of it while I can!

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3 hours ago, PG Cruiser said:

Somebody needs to explain to me the pros and cons of refundable deposits. All I know is that they cost more.  

Deposit amounts are the same, it's the actual cruise fare that is higher with a refundable fare.  You pay a higher total price on the cruise to have the ability to get your deposit back in full in cash if you decide not to sail and cancel prior to final payment.

If you chose the nonrefundable option, then if you decide not to sail you get the deposit back as a FCC less the cancellation/change fee of $100 per person. 

However with the current Cruise with Confidence program, if you were to book prior to August 31, 2021 they will not charge that cancellation fee so you would get that entire deposit back as a FCC. 

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Refundable cruise deposits are kind of like refundable airfare.  

You pay more for the flexibility to make fee-free changes and cancellations.  By choosing the cheaper non-refundable rates you agree to the terms and conditions that come with them in the name of saving money.

Once final payment due date arrives and the cruise is paid in full, the deposit type is irrelevant.  After final payment all cruise bookings are subject to the same cancellation fee schedules regardless of the deposit type. 

If you are booking a cruise on short notice and you plan to cruise it would make little sense booking with a refundable deposit.  If you are booking two years out when lots of things could change then refundable deposits can be appealing.

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On 8/18/2021 at 8:33 AM, twangster said:

If you are booking a cruise on short notice and you plan to cruise it would make little sense booking with a refundable deposit.  If you are booking two years out when lots of things could change then refundable deposits can be appealing.

What @twangster says is very true, and I honestly wish I'd booked my Alaska cruise with a refundable deposit since it's my only 2022 cruise so far, and it dawned on me after the fact that the sail date falls on the other side of the line noted in the "Cruise With Confidence" policy, so in order to make a change going forward, I'd have to weigh whether losing $100 of my deposit to a penalty is worth it. In my case, I'd probably deem it worth it since it's just me traveling and I wouldn't impact anyone else's reservations, but of course, everyone's situation is different.

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Refundable deposits are like insurance. You pay extra to have peace of mind if you really want that specific cruise but are not completely sure of your future schedule. You can lock in your preferred cabin and know you can cancel if necessary, provided it’s before final payment. But it seems like a toss up….pay more for the cruise and maybe take advantage of the refund, or pay less and risk it. For me, being solo and an unabashed, unapologetic raging cruisaholic…I’ll take the risk.?

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1 hour ago, BrianB said:

 

Refundable deposits are like insurance. You pay extra to have peace of mind if you really want that specific cruise but are not completely sure of your future schedule.

 

Refundable deposit is especially helpful now more than ever. You just don’t know what your life looks like by the time final payment is due.

Sometimes I wish Royal would make the rates already refundable and then “discount” it to make it non-refundable (I think some hotels do this). I can see how people might be turned off to the fact that “I pay more to get the ability to get my money back” - that was always a little strange to me. Especially since it’s on the same page as paying for gratuities and their travel insurance. Of course we go the refundable route anyway.

I guess it comes down to if you are comfortable eating that deposit should you need to cancel your trip? To each their own!

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So, small YOLO update: 

Instead of cruising to Alaska aboard Ovation for 8 nights on 5/5/22I'll be cruising to Alaska on Serenade for 7 nights on 5/1/22...in a corner aft balcony. I had this spot on a COVID-cancelled cruise, and I was so very sad I missed out on it...so to get to do it this time in a place where aft balconies are even more delightful than normal...I'm thrilled. Plus, the logistics of flying into and flying out of Vancouver instead of having to deal with 2 ports relieves a bit of stress from my life. Extra day in Vancouver post-cruise to get to experience the city, too! Extra YOLO -- I've always wanted to visit Vancouver!

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