Switching a cruise is technically a cancellation?

[RCIfan1912]

I'm guessing switching cruises is technically a cancellation of the original cruise? We are on Oasis in May 5 days to Canada but just saw a 9 day Canada/NE cruise for about the same. You can't just switch over correct with penalty? 

[wordell1]

14 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I'm guessing switching cruises is technically a cancellation of the original cruise? We are on Oasis in May 5 days to Canada but just saw a 9 day Canada/NE cruise for about the same. You can't just switch over correct with penalty? 

It depends on how you booked (refundable/non refundable).  It's not a big penalty if you are moving to a new cruise.  I think only $100 per person.

[twangster]

It depends on the circumstances. 

For cruises 2 - 5 nights the deposit is $100 per person so with a $100 per person change fee NRD it can be processed as a full cancelation and new booking with new deposit.   

Longer cruises have $250 or $450 per person deposits so they may keep the original booking as an audit trail for the $150 or $350 residual deposit when a change incurs the $100 per person fee.

That doesn't mean a change to a short cruise is guaranteed to generate a new booking, it could be processed like a long cruise.

Sometimes my TA has been able to make changes and avoid the $100 fee.  That's not a sure thing so plan on paying $100 per person to make the change and if your TA can spin some magic you might escape the fee.

[RCIfan1912]

20 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

It depends on how you booked (refundable/non refundable).  It's not a big penalty if you are moving to a new cruise.  I think only $100 per person.

Yeah we booked non-refundable. Last cruise we actually did refundable but this one non. Thanks for the info. 

[RCIfan1912]

12 minutes ago, twangster said:

It depends on the circumstances.  For cruises 2 - 5 nights the deposit is $100 per person so with a $100 per person change fee NRD it can be processed as a full cancelation and new booking with new deposit.   

Longer cruises have $250 or $450 per person deposits so they may keep the original booking as an audit trail for the $150 or $350 residual deposit when a change incurs the $100 per person fee.

Hmm interesting. Tomorrow I'll text my TA and see what he says. This should be an interesting discussion. I just booked a second cruise with him a few days ago. 

[BrianB]

I have changed non-refundable bookings several times. Sometimes I find a better itinerary or deal on another ship during the time frame of the original booking and decide to switch. Usually there is a $100 change fee…so instead of losing my original $250 deposit (7 day cruises) I only lose the hundred. Of course that factors into my decision…but not by much. All of my changes were well after the initial grace period…usually weeks later.

Then there are times when I have called to make a switch, fully expecting to pay the fee, only to be put on hold while the agent ‘checks with my colleague’. Then they come back and tell me the change fee was waived so I didn’t lose anything. That has happened quite a few times. I don’t know why…but I’m not complainin’!

[RCIfan1912]

15 minutes ago, BrianB said:

I have changed non-refundable bookings several times. Sometimes I find a better itinerary or deal on another ship during the time frame of the original booking and decide to switch. Usually there is a $100 change fee…so instead of losing my original $250 deposit (7 day cruises) I only lose the hundred. Of course that factors into my decision…but not by much. All of my changes were well after the initial grace period…usually weeks later.

Then there are times when I have called to make a switch, fully expecting to pay the fee, only to be put on hold while the agent ‘checks with my colleague’. Then they come back and tell me the change fee was waived so I didn’t lose anything. That has happened quite a few times. I don’t know why…but I’m not complainin’!

Oh wow! That's interesting. I'm gonna do some more mock bookings today and then email my TA. I really really would like to do the 9 day Canada/NE cruise rather than 5 days even though the 5 day is on Oasis. The 9 day is on Liberty. I originally wanted to do the 9 day cruise but they were really high in price so we settled on the 5 day cruise. We love the 2 stops on the 5 day but they are also the same stops plus more on the 9 day. Thanks for the info. 

[RCIfan1912]

Yeah we would lose 100 per person so I guess in total 400 bucks. Too bad we really would like to switch. Oh well, sometimes things don't work out. 

[teddy]

We just paid the change fee to move from a Feb ‘23 cruise on Mariner out of Port Canaveral to Anthem out of Cape Liberty. 
 

In our case, there’re only two of us, and we come out ahead by not having to pay for flights and a room the night before. 

[BrianB]

33 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Yeah we would lose 100 per person so I guess in total 400 bucks. Too bad we really would like to switch. Oh well, sometimes things don't work out. 

Always call and check. As I said before...sometimes the change fee can be waived. But you won't know unless you (or your TA) calls. Good luck!

[RCIfan1912]

14 minutes ago, BrianB said:

Always call and check. As I said before...sometimes the change fee can be waived. But you won't know unless you (or your TA) calls. Good luck!

Ok, I'll see what he says about that. Thanks. 

[RCIfan1912]

Does anyone know why Royal Caribbean started this basically punishment for changing cruises? I can kinda see outright cancelling punishment but changing a cruise? Your money is still with Royal Caribbean, they didn't lose money or anything. They in my opinion should drop the punishment for changing cruises. 

[NotPayinExtra]

54 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Does anyone know why Royal Caribbean started this basically punishment for changing cruises? I can kinda see outright cancelling punishment but changing a cruise? Your money is still with Royal Caribbean, they didn't lose money or anything. They in my opinion should drop the punishment for changing cruises. 

A change fee is a very common practice. Cruise lines, airlines, etc. I would hardly call it a punishment. Change fees, late fees, etc is just business.

[Xaa]

Nobody likes change fees, but they are commonplace in the travel industry.  Punishment?  I can see how you feel that way, but certainly more administration goes into a booking that changes than one that sails as promised by the booking party.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Does anyone know why Royal Caribbean started this basically punishment for changing cruises? I can kinda see outright cancelling punishment but changing a cruise? Your money is still with Royal Caribbean, they didn't lose money or anything. They in my opinion should drop the punishment for changing cruises. 

Before there was NRD fares people would book cruises they weren't sure about.  Then the week of final payment due date they would change or cancel the booking.  This resulted in a flood of cabins becoming available at the 90 day mark.  The problem is that it's harder to sell cabins on 3 months notice.  Most people book a year of two in advance.  So the open policy was being abused by people who had no intention of cruising or were less than committed to actually going on a cruise. 

Many people booked at NextCruise to get OBC then kept pushing and changing the cruise, sometimes four or five times eventually sailing 6 years later.  To get to that 6 year mark they may have used 3 or 4 "placeholder" cruises they had zero intention of sailing.  They just parked their booking on them to make it another year or two into the future.  This was producing an abundance of cabins on short notice that were hard to fill.  

So they offered a discount to book NRD and commit.  With NRD you have skin in the game.  The trade off to a lower fare is being locked in.  Hotels do it.  Airlines do it.  It's pretty common in the travel industry.  

The problem is people have short memories and forget about the commitment part, they just want the discount.  Then they get upset when they realize they agreed to an NRD fare.  

[RCIfan1912]

42 minutes ago, twangster said:

Before there was NRD fares people would book cruises they weren't sure about.  Then the week of final payment due date they would change or cancel the booking.  This resulted in a flood of cabins becoming available at the 90 day mark.  The problem is that it's harder to sell cabins on 3 months notice.  Most people book a year of two in advance.  So the open policy was being abused by people who had no intention of cruising or were less than committed to actually going on a cruise. 

Many people booked at NextCruise to get OBC then kept pushing and changing the cruise, sometimes four or five times eventually sailing 6 years later.  To get to that 6 year mark they may have used 3 or 4 "placeholder" cruises they had zero intention of sailing.  They just parked their booking on them to make it another year or two into the future.  This was producing an abundance of cabins on short notice that were hard to fill.  

So they offered a discount to book NRD and commit.  With NRD you have skin in the game.  The trade off to a lower fare is being locked in.  Hotels do it.  Airlines do it.  It's pretty common in the travel industry.  

The problem is people have short memories and forget about the commitment part, they just want the discount.  Then they get upset when they realize they agreed to an NRD fare.  

You are correct, you jogged my memory. I actually agreed with the reasoning at the time and still do. It's one of those things where the few or greedy or sinister ruined it for the well intentioned and loyal Royal cruisers. I wish maybe it was a perk for diamond or higher or maybe you get one switch per booking if you are Diamond or higher but I fully understand why they did and agree with it. Thanks for jogging my memory. 

[Xaa]

Would be a great loyalty perk indeed!

[twangster]

I imagine the loyal cruiser was the culprit.  I believe fewer newbies would think of such a thing.  The more frequent cruisers were likely the ones doing it the most.

[Dad2Cue]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

I imagine the loyal cruiser was the culprit.  I believe fewer newbies would think of such a thing.  The more frequent cruisers were likely the ones doing it the most.

I would classify myself as a loyal cruiser (soon to be Diamond+) and a committed cruiser.  Until Covid happened, I never cancelled a cruise and would always book NRD. I never canceled or made changes except to reprice the cruise or change my stateroom. 

When I wasn't confident about the Covid situation, I started to book strictly refundable because I didn't want anymore FCCs  My dilemma now is that sometimes a refundable fare is $100's more than a NRD.    I now have a refundable deposit that is $590 more than what the NRD fare would be.  My deposit was $900 on a cruise that is still a year away so anything can happen.

The way prices are increasing, my refundable cruise fare will seem like a bargain and I will lose my chance to change to a NRD.   However, I'm committed to the cruise so I probably should switch to a NRD. 

I have used up all my FCCs so at least that slate is clean.  

[twangster]

10 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

I would classify myself as a loyal cruiser (soon to be Diamond+) and a committed cruiser.  Until Covid happened, I never cancelled a cruise and would always book NRD. I never canceled or made changes except to reprice the cruise or change my stateroom. 

When I wasn't confident about the Covid situation, I started to book strictly refundable because I didn't want anymore FCCs  My dilemma now is that sometimes a refundable fare is $100's more than a NRD.    I now have a refundable deposit that is $590 more than what the NRD fare would be.  My deposit was $900 on a cruise that is still a year away so anything can happen.

The way prices are increasing, my refundable cruise fare will seem like a bargain and I will lose my chance to change to a NRD.   However, I'm committed to the cruise so I probably should switch to a NRD. 

I have used up all my FCCs so at least that slate is clean.  

During the restart I was using the CWC in place of my refundable deposit process.  Like you I used to book refundable unless the difference was too large.  For some reason the studio balconies on Quantum class has always "enjoyed" a crazy refundable premium, like $2k more than NRD, even before the shutdown.

Clearly in more recent times Royal is trying to motivate folks to commit and go with NRD.  I've also noticed that refundable fares are much higher.

Only time will if Royal can increase prices like they tried to early in the restart.  The reality is that Royal can try but ultimately they can't go against the flow of the market.  If they try to raise rates but the competition doesn't follow then they'll have to wake up, come back to earth and lower rates again like last time.   

For me I've found some deals on MSC so I'm booking some cruises with them.  I'd prefer to sail Royal but not at four times the price on a short weekend sailing.  So as long as the competition isn't jumping on their bandwagon Royal will lose bookings and ultimately they'll have to bring fares back down.  Royal is famous for jacking prices to see what the market will bear.  If enough people are willing to book at the new rates they'll become the new normal.  If like me, folks book elsewhere and bookings falter they'll have to relent and lower rates.  We the cruiser have more power than we realize. 

On the other hand if enough people are good with the new rates then I guess I'll be sailing MSC more and more until they follow suit. 

[RCIfan1912]

It's not gonna work with us switching. We are gonna lose 400 bucks so it's not gonna happen. Sometimes you bet wrong. 

I mean the Oasis cruise 5 days to New Brunswick Canada and Halifax is gonna be awesome, just wish it were at least 7 days to another port. This is gonna be a fun cruise though. Should be nice weather in Canada in late May/early June. We know these cities well enough that we aren't doing any excursions and going out on our own. We know exactly where we are going and doing. 

Now 2024 we are doing Anthem in February to Coco Cay so we will do a 9 day Canada/NE cruise next and maybe in 2024. 

[Dad2Cue]

3 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

It's not gonna work with us switching. We are gonna lose 400 bucks so it's not gonna happen. Sometimes you bet wrong. 

The calculations to do a cruise are driving me crazy.  I wouldn't completely give up on changing your cruise for the $400.  Royal is notorious for giving you different answers depending on who you speak with.  You might want to call back a few times before you accept their response as the final answer.  The more "what if" questions you ask the better.  There are always multiple answers to every question.  Royal's policy changes happen on a whim too it seems.

[RCIfan1912]

15 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

The calculations to do a cruise are driving me crazy.  I wouldn't completely give up on changing your cruise for the $400.  Royal is notorious for giving you different answers depending on who you speak with.  You might want to call back a few times before you accept their response as the final answer.  The more "what if" questions you ask the better.  There are always multiple answers to every question.  Royal's policy changes happen on a whim too it seems.

We have a travel agent and I don't want to push them too much. He just said you would lose 100 per person. I don't want to push him to go through hoops to see if they to waive it. 

[Xaa]

Get an agent that offers to jump through hoops for you.

[FireFishII]

Agree.  Get a new agent.  That is why I use an agent - so they can go to bat for me. I hate to push my elder aunt (who is my TA) but she will even tell you that that is why she is there.  She has no problem sitting on the phone for hours until she gets an answer I want. NO guarantees of course.  But that is how she earns her commissions and have people keep coming back to her even though she is semi-retired. 

[RCIfan1912]

I took your advice and my TA is trying to work something out. Fingers are crossed. 

[FloatyBoaty]

10 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I mean the Oasis cruise 5 days to New Brunswick Canada and Halifax is gonna be awesome, just wish it were at least 7 days to another port. This is gonna be a fun cruise though. Should be nice weather in Canada in late May/early June.

I did the 5-day Canada on Oasis last year - absolutely loved it and will be planning a longer Canada cruise in the future. Our excursion guide in Nova Scotia apologized over and over for how unusually "hot" it was. It was a gorgeous sunny day and probably 70-72 degrees. So perfect. 

[RCIfan1912]

And it's changed! No penalty! We are so, so happy. Awesome move!  I'm glad I asked about this and it worked out. 

[Xaa]

Way to stick with it @RCIfan1912

[RCIfan1912]

On 11/15/2022 at 6:17 PM, Xaa said:

Way to stick with it @RCIfan1912

Thank you, we are so excited. We originally wanted to do a 9 day Canada cruise but prices were high. This is exactly what we paid for the 5 day but this is 9. Good deal I'd say. Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Halifax and New Brunswick. Absolutely LOVE this itinerary!

[RCIfan1912]

We are in a Guarantee balcony, something we have never done. Do you basically get stuck with a very low deck kinda bad area cabin? I mean as long as we have a balcony for this cruise, with these ports. Its an absolute must. 

[twangster]

1 hour ago, RCIfan1912 said:

We are in a Guarantee balcony, something we have never done. Do you basically get stuck with a very low deck kinda bad area cabin? I mean as long as we have a balcony for this cruise, with these ports. Its an absolute must. 

When booking a GTY it's best to assume you will get the worst cabin.  That way if it happens you are prepared but if you get a good cabin you will be pleased.  

[RCIfan1912]

We are gonna stick with the Guarantee balcony. To pick the room is a pretty big price difference and to be honest we are just lucky and glad to be on this sailing. We got a great deal and if the room isn't in the best location, oh well. We still have a balcony going into the beautiful ports.