coldflame

10 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Dont for get the holidays are just over.  I would allow 10 days before calling

I find it remarkable that us, collectively, allow Royal to get away with their who-knows-when refund policy. I've dealt with several refunds from Norwegian and Disney and they are for sure refunded within 5 business days. Yet with Royal is "30-45 days" or "6-8 weeks" or I suppose any random length of time the the customer service agent comes up with. Worst part is you call to check on status and their answer is "it shows as processing". 

4 hours ago, pcur said:

@coldflame is correct:  they are a lot more lenient if it's COVID related.

 

However, be aware that anything paid toward port taxes, fees, or gratuities IS refunded back to the original form of payment.  The rest is an FCC.

Fully refundable. I'm sure Royal would love not to refund you the money, but if you insist you want a refund, they will extend it. The agent that handled our case was super helpful, so that might make a difference.As usual with Royal customer service, if you're not getting anywhere, hang up and call again.

4 hours ago, beshears said:

A group (family all adults) are to be cruising (unless the test turn out bad), starting this Sunday.  If YOU were one of the people that was in this group and one or two weren't able to go because of the virus, would you NOT go because they are not going, or would you go anyway??? Just curious. 🙂

That's sort of a personal question and very situational. Did you plan the trip together? Were activities planned around them? Would they be disappointed if you went? Only you can answer that.

I'm saying this as my sister and I (different bookings) called and cancelled for full refund because we were not going to be able to meet the new testing protocols (and they had changed the itinerary twice on us already). If you do not wish to travel, have your agent call Royal and request a refund on the basis of unable to meet health and testing protocols or new CDC "avoid cruising" guidance.

On 1/4/2022 at 5:27 PM, Pratique said:

They should just say "until further notice."

If they did, then that would open floodgates to refund requests due to protocol changes. So they are playing it by ear so that would-be cancellers can only cancel up to the dates.

16 hours ago, RoyalC said:

It is true. Never mentioned NFD because OP asked and did not mention status of their deposit. This was an easy answer- cancel for any reason if refundable within 30 days. Of course you can cancel for other reasons too and get it all back. I plan to do the same actually. Pretty sure i can pull a positive pcr within 14 days if I have to.

My sister and I (different reservations) called and got our refunds processing due to inability to meet the new health and testing protocols for our sailing on time. If you have any email from them regarding changes in testing or health protocols for your sailing that gives you a legitimate exit, should you choose to sit this out until COVID situation stabilizes.

On 12/27/2021 at 12:07 AM, RoyalC said:

Cancel for full refund if you booked a Refundable deposit.

That's not true. If the reason you cancel is health or testing protocols (or of you or someone in your party gets sick), they will issue full refund regardless of refundability. Refundable status only matter for all other reasons.

1 minute ago, poocher said:

And could you not just have them apply the discount to the existing reservation?  Not sure why you cancelled & rebooked.

This is a bit besides the point. There is no denying Royal's refund process is opaque and slow as molases. One of the ongoing complaints (for years) is how back a$$ward their website/IT is. There is no technical reason why you couldn't see in your royalcaribbean.com online account the status of refunds/credits, etc.

9 hours ago, rich_cathybrock said:

I did not get a refund, and I called twice.  Not sure if it was because we were in a suite, but we had a $250.00/pp FCD from our last sailing in March '20, and when I booked Anthem for 2023, I wanted to use that certificate after canceling an Oct 2020 sailing.  Since it was going to take several weeks for the certificate to be available, I put another $900 down to secure the room.  Now they have $1400 of our money, and would issue certificates only, no refund, period.

Did you call and specifically tell them you were going to have problems with health and testing protocols? If you tell them anything else, they will treat it as CWC, which only entitles you to credit.

37 minutes ago, noelbean21 said:

Is this true? We are booked for 1/8 on Symphony and have been very concerned with the new variant, increased cases & overall response over the last couple of weeks. Several people in the traveling party are higher risk for complications. Was wondering if there was any way we could get a refund instead of FCC. 

If you call and request a full refund due to changes in the health protocols, they will process it for you. They will say if you want FCC, you say, no I wish a full refund. They have stated in several ocassions they will issue a full refund if you're sick before traveling or if you do not or cannot comply with testing and health protocols.

6 hours ago, joge107 said:

RCL would not allow us to reschedule.  Was going on Anthem for NYE.  Gave us full refund except for NRD which will be FCC.  Some people on same cruise were allowed to reschedule.  I assume my deal was too advantages for us .

This is odd. If you cancel due to health concerns or protocols, they will refund the whole amount minus 25% (if you used 125% FCC deal from last year), regardless of refundable status.

On 12/29/2021 at 12:32 PM, Biker19 said:

Ask for a full refund for everything including the FCC (though not all of it if that was the CWC 125% FCC from last year). As mentioned, insist on refund (no FCC) due to the protocols.

I did this and they did not give us any issues, except they are taking their sweet little time about it. It will be 4 week since I spoke with royal this Sunday. We've only gotten refunded about 1/5 of the total so far, in pieces. They did say 30-40 days, though. So if you request a refund specially now with new flurry of people cancelling, it'll take a bit of time.

Just now, DJLDRUMS said:

When you say "and cancelled 3 weeks ago" did you mean you cancelled or RC cancelled it?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

We cancelled it because the changes in pre-boarding cruising to our kids.

Way too much uncertainty and bending over backwards to meet ever-changing requirements at this point to travel with kids -- and we don't cruise without them. So we just cancelled and have no plans to reserver another one until there is more clarity and stability in protocols.

21 hours ago, sandebeach said:

Not entirely unexpected

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest, Due to new regulations, we’ll no longer be able to visit San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a result, we’ll have an overnight visit to Philipsburg, St. Maarten. We know how much time and effort go into planning your vacation, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by this. Nevertheless, we know you’ll have an excellent time! Below, please find our revised Allure of the Seas December 30th, 2021 itinerary. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Thu Fort Lauderdale, Florida   5:00 PM Fri Perfect Day at CocoCay 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Sat Cruising     Sun Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 11:30 AM 8:00 PM Mon Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Tue Philipsburg, St. Maarten 8:00 AM   Wed Philipsburg, St. Maarten   5:00 PM Thu Cruising     Fri Cruising     Sat Fort Lauderdale, Florida 6:15 AM   While it may be less than 40 square miles, there’s plenty to do in Philipsburg: you can travel back in time while exploring centuries-old ruins and get your adrenaline fix ziplining through lush tropical forests. If you’re after a little rest and relaxation during your cruise to St. Maarten, you’ll find plenty of secluded beaches where you can work on your suntan before treating your taste buds to some of the best cuisine in the Caribbean. Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for San Juan will automatically be refunded to your original form of payment. In the meantime, feel free to browse all the exciting shore excursion options for your sailing in Cruise Planner. Important Reminder: Families traveling with unvaccinated kids are required to purchase a tour through Royal Caribbean to go ashore. Some ports require all guests, regardless of vaccination status, to purchase tours through Royal Caribbean. Review the latest healthy shore excursion requirements by port here. While we can’t wait to set sail with you, we understand this was an unexpected change and may not work for everyone. Should you wish to cancel, you’ll have until December 29th, 2021 to cancel and receive a full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare to the original form of payment, including non-refundable deposits. And, any pre-paid amenities will be refunded to the original form of payment within 30 business days. Please contact your Travel Advisor or call us at 1 (866) 562-7625 by December 29th, 2021 to let us know your decision. Thanks for your understanding. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard Allure of the Seas! Sincerely,

This change makes me REALLY mad at the health protocol changes. We were on this sailing and cancelled 3 weeks ago. But boy how would I like to go back to pre-covid cruising and enjoy the over-night in Sint Maarten. One of our cruises was weather delayed in Cozumel and we spent then night on port. So much fun. We saw so much of the island that 99.99% of cruisers miss. We had a great supper in "city center". We also took advantage of not having to need to return to ship and ventured (with a guide) to the east side of the island, which is still very prisitine and undeveloped. At any rate, hope you have fun and jealous of the overnight stop.

7 hours ago, jessed said:

How long does it usually take for the credit to be issued after you cancel? I know it says 30 days but I was wondering if it was sooner. 

Do they notify you and where does it show up in your account?

Thanks. 

We got ours literally within 48 hours. But have heard many accounts they are all over the place -- even months, unfortunately. If you're worried call and ask for status.

1 hour ago, fliprcruiser said:

Just off Celebrity Equinox week ago, stopped in both ports. Not sure what you mean by mandatory excursions.  Both ports had their port shopping areas open, but to leave you had to be in an 'authorized' private tour, or on an excursion.   Licensed, vaccinated tour guides had access to pier for private tours, but they could only go certain places, or even to just a single beach, which govt approved.

 

Tours will return to the secure pier area, and local security will not let you leave.

 

Can't speak to the Spice Mill trip, we did the train ride there.

 

However, situations are very fluid, local rules can and will change as govt sees fit.

If they have children under 12 (which they didn't specify), they can't loiter/linger outside certain areas. One of the reasons we cancelled our NYE cruise was because some friends (with young children) went on a cruise recently and it was super strict even on "beach break" excursions they were only allowed on certain parts of the beach and on the way back they were escorted straight to the ship gangway not a particularly fun experience for anyone but specially for those who have cruised before and used to the freedom of walking around port area grabing a cab and hitting the local beach/watering hole.

39 minutes ago, budmeister said:

Have you heard about any trouble getting PCR tests back in time for 2 day turnaround? Every location around here says 1-2 days, or longer if labs are backed up. I expect by Jan. 7th labs will be backed up. 

 

Our airport is doing what they call rapid swab tests. I am hoping that means antigen. The way I read protocol, we can do rapid antigen as vaccinated adults. I guess I am looking for reassurance. Even with plenty of time to plan, I am stressing about getting the right test done and results in time. I know many thousands of people succeed a this every week, so it should not be that hard to do correctly. 

 

Thanks for any tips or reassurance!

If you have kids they MUST be PCR tests now. They have no option for antigen tests.

2 hours ago, Slidell_Cruiser said:

I sent this my clients 15 minutes ago, and I have 3 voice mails and 2 emails wanting full refunds already…

Let the Royal Refund machine spin up to max again….

I cancelled ours 2 weeks ago because they had changed testing protocols twice and cancelled 2 of our favorite ports of call out of the itinerary. The call was fast (mind you, about 20 minutes, which considering how long I've been on hold with Royal before seems super fast). The agent was super helpful and set the refund up. He said it can take up to 30-40 days and might not be all at once and split in different amounts. Just today we received the first one which was probably the tax and port fees, but still waiting on a bunch of $$$ to hit our CCs.

1 hour ago, wesnliz said:

If you booked a tour so you can get off the ship, when the tour is done, can you wander around the port? Can you only get off the ship right before the tour?

I asked this question a few weeks back and I was told by someone who sailed with children that no, your party will be escorted to and from the ship, but you can then leave the kid in the kid's club and come ashore if you want to shop.

1 hour ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Vaccines aren’t required for anyone in the US…….

They are mandated for a large percent of the working population. If you want to pick nits between required and mandated, be my guest.

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

yeah, I know. Two days before the cruise, Antigua was replaced with St Kitts. We had a lovely time in St Kitts instead.

Excellent swap. We ❤️ St. Kitts. One of the least visited islands -- hoping it stays that way.

1 minute ago, Rosy Season said:

I'm sure RCCL legal department put all of that in the terms and conditions that you agreed to when you purchased.  Not to mention, you purchased a cruise during a global pandemic with ever changing rules and regulations.  And you expected a static environment? lol.

Royal apologists never cease to amaze me. Your flippant reply is telling.

I remember reading a while back Royal would honor refund requests if there was a change to the COVID protocols after PIF. So wondering if anyone has requested a refund on this premises and were you successful? TIA.

1 minute ago, Rosy Season said:

You don't have to agree and you have every right to not cruise if you don't like it.

Unless you've already paid before that change is announced then you have to forcefully cruise within 12 months (with FCC) or forfeit your money.