MaritimeR&R

10 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

That poster should have known that the threads can easily evolve. I believe they weren’t newbies either. If they haven’t gotten the answers they were looking for they could have posted the question again on their thread.

I believe there is a difference between evolving and spontaneous generation by interjection...lol

Sophie

I wonder how Mario Salcedo feels about this. He, for the most part, books insides unless he has a guest which he sometimes does when he uses his Pinnacle free cruise for a JS. 

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

RCI doesn't want to put systems in place to give money back easily or have lots of flexibility on FCCs, by design. 

It would seem that way. 

Just now, Biker19 said:

Folks who have a bit of history with RCI, and particularly their IT and processes, don't find it so.

I have plenty of history; I just find the perpetual ineptitude frustrating.

Since RC cancelled many summer sailings which will include many children and there are those who will opt for the 125% FCC, Royal needs to look seriously at how (according to Supervisor Fernando at Guatemala City) is set up to delegate FCC's to passengers listed on the reservation.

According to Fernando, RC's system is not set up to recognize minors and yet, when I questioned why the booking process if you check off child requests the age of the child at the time of sailing. Apparently, their system CAN recognize children who are 12 year of age and under (in all probability this was set up to allow the customer to secure a child's pricing for drink packages and shore excursions.) Time to ask whoever set that up to step in. 

The inability for whoever currently does their IT to create instructions to delegate the 125% FCC to the parent or guardian wastes both time and consequently, money, both the customer's and RCG.  

As of now, customer's who request the 125% FCC traveling with minor-age children will receive an FCC for themselves and for each minor. Each minor's FCC will be issued in the name of the minor, and yet, the fees and port charges for each child will be returned to the credit card it was charged to --- somehow the system recognizes that.

Should the adult whose credit card was charged for the cruise fare want/need to have any minor listed on the reservation's FCC transferred to themselves, they must:

• first, wait to receive the FCC by email (supposedly for this round of recent cancellations on about July2, 2021)
• Then, write an email for each minor listed on the reservation (a phone call will not do) requesting an "Exception" be made to RC's policy that currently states that individual FCC's will be issued to each person listed on the reservation for his/her cruise fare minus and fees and port charges
• Wait, for this to be processed/reviewed (under normal circumstances about 5 business days, but with the rash of cancellations it could take much longer, however, how long was not specified.

I find it incredulous that in an age where everything a person does/says can be tracked and organized for marketing purposes, etc. that a company can not streamline processes in their Customer Service/Relations Departments to address this issue.  With the thousands of families affected by this summer's cancellations, surely this is a system fix that is badly needed now and to save time/money in the future.

Sophie

13 minutes ago, CruiseBride926 said:

That’s why we did L&S for our April cruise. We were planning on a FCC after seeing what it was going for the next year we jumped to switch. It was costing more per person for an interior cabin then we paid for our entire family of 4 combined in a balcony cabin. 

My granddaughter has been to the Bahamas many times and wasn;t that hot on going again.  I am thinking about maybe flying down to Atlantis for next summer and skipping doing a cruise with her (she enjoyed staying there before) and then maybe doing a Med cruise with her the summer of 2023 when she is 13.  Italy, Greece, etc.  I can see spending that kind of money on a trip like that ,  not on PC Nassau and Coco Cay.

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

The reason everyone was lifting and shifting was because they go a good deal. Now look where they stand. If you are willing to take the chance go for it. All these questions that are coming up in this thread especially yours gives me reason to believe that cash is a sure thing. I am sure if you called 3 customer service reps now with your question you would get 3 different answers after they put you on hold to ask a supervisor. That's par for the course on a good day.

Same cruise, same cabin next year over 10 grand....ridiculous for a 7 night Bahamas

9 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Do yourself a favor and forgo the 25% and take the cash and apply it to your winter cruise. All these FCC's do is complicate matters.

The extra 25% for the GS is about $1,500.

47 minutes ago, Love2cruise77 said:

 

Lift and shift, 125% FCC, refund

My 125% FCC says "to book a new cruise by April 30, 2022."  It is supposed to be issued by July 2, 2022 if I do nothing.  However, at this point, I would prefer to apply that FCC to cruises I am already booked on this coming winter. I know they were allowing you to do that as well as split any FCC across multiple existing sailings. Do you think this wording "in bold type, no less" is a change in that policy?

And then, I assume, there's always the appeal process.  

According to the report, a judge will be making a ruling shortly. 

From WESH Headlines : An official with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said the mediation effort in the lawsuit against the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has failed.

The lawsuit demanded the reopening of the cruise industry.

The state is insisting that a judge invalidate the no-sail order and allow ships to cruise as they did before the pandemic.

The official went on to say the state will enforce the law against vaccination passports and will look to fine companies $5,000 for each person who is asked for proof of vaccination. State officials called the test cruises meaningless and said they do not represent a go-ahead for paying passenger cruises.

For a cruise to take place, cruise companies would have to certify their crews are 98% vaccinated and passengers are 95% vaccine, which the state will not allow.

The official with DeSantis’ administration says the state will wait on a ruling on its lawsuit, which is expected "soon."

5 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

What a sad world we live in if someone uses a fake vaccination card to get on a cruise.  It's not like one has to pay for the vaccine.

 

I'm just so done with selfish people.

One only has to look to the people who for years have boarded a ship knowing full well that they were sick but didn't want to cancel. For years when Serenade was doing the 10/11 Southern Caribbean during the months of Jan through March, I watched as more and more people developed colds, bronchitis and some pneumonia. As long as there as those in our society that ascribe to the "me first" philosophy, there will be dishonest statements on health forms and now, if cruise documents mandate being inoculated,  likely forged CDC cards.

8 hours ago, yogimax said:

Major Jimmy Davis is Mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey.  Was there also an announcement from RCCL or the Port Authority of NY/NJ confirming this?

No announcement from PANYNJ or the RCG.  In fact, this is the only article on the topic.  A well-known blogger has reached out to RCG for confirmation, as of this morning, he has not heard back.  I, on the other hand, emailed Mayor Davis and asked him/his office to confirm the validity of the content in the article that he is quoted in and/or furnish a second primary source and his/her contact info. so that it can be verified.  I will post if I hear back from Mayor Davis' office.

20 minutes ago, cruise wizard said:

 

Leaking can be fatal.

Once the announcement of what ships and ports will be resuming first, there are going to be quite a few customers wanting their money back, FCC's or the ability to lift and shift if their cruise is not included in the reveal.  I believe that RCG will wait until the last possible moment for their reveal and, in all likelihood, we will get another video from Mr. Fain telling us they (RCG) about on-going communication and the possibility that more ships will be included just to put off the avalanche of calls from those customers whose ships/sailings are not part of the initial reveal.

7 hours ago, Stick93 said:

Please someone ask mayor if that includes the ports. Somehow I am sure there is some red tape there! 

I believe the ports are not controlled by the mayors of either locales. The ports are part of the Port Authority of (the states of ) New York and New Jersey and are overseen by a Board whose members include the Governors of both states.  The CBP  at each port is controlled by the Federal Government. 

Given that Florida's governor has made it clear that he will not allow businesses to require vaccinations and the CDC wants 95% of passengers to be vaccinated in order to forego the test cruises, etc., it would seem that RC would be setting itself up for yet another fight if they attempted for to try to start up  U.S. cruising from a Florida port . Perhaps use NY or Baltimore for the 95/5 and use Florida for some test cruises. 

The first cruises out of Cape Liberty in 2022 are 3 consecutive 11 night sailings aboard Anthem of which I am currently booked on all three. Seven night cruises don't start until February.  It seems unlikely that RCG would start with 11 night cruises.  

On 3/22/2021 at 8:37 AM, Milwaukee Eight said:

Typical of Royal’s cash flow program. No shame. 

I posted this on another thread, but perhaps it fits here better:

One thing that will become perfectly clear to currently booked passengers is that if the CDC rejects NCL's proposal for a totally vaccinated ship, the possibility of any ship cruising out of the US until at least Nov. 1st will be a done deal.

There will be no more false "hope;" no more pep talks about being "confident we will sail soon" from Cruise Company Execs (at least none that will be believed; and no more hemming and hawing about cancelling cruises from U.S. ports until after final payments (at least not without sustaining a hit to their company's relationship with the general public)

Cruise lines will be stuck accepting the CDC's mandates and will have to step up to their responsibility to their customers or face the real possibility of losing them permanently.

One thing that will become perfectly clear to currently booked passengers is that if the CDC rejects NCL's proposal for a totally vaccinated ship, the possibility of any ship cruising out of the US until at least Nov. 1st will be a done deal.

There will be no more false "hope;" no more pep talks about being "confident we will sail soon" from Cruise Company Execs (at least none that will be believed; and no more hemming and hawing about cancelling cruises from U.S. ports until after final payments (at least not without sustaining a hit to their company's relationship with the general public)

Cruise lines will be stuck accepting the CDC's mandates and will have to step up to their responsibility to their customers.

Apparently, it is now published.  The reduced capacity is supposed to start at 60% and then increase by 20% every 30 days.

MK_APR2101116 NCLH Flyer - SailSAFE Health & Safety Protocols.indd (nclhltdinvestor.com)

23 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Someone just posted on the NCL board a quote from NCL saying no children unless they are fully vaccinated.  

 

Kind of curious that the letter to the CDC did not come from BOTH NCL and Royal considering they partnered with the Healthy Sail Panel

According to several news source, minors who have not yet reached the age to receive a vaccine will not be permitted onboard sailings from the US through October 2021.

8 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

The cruise lines have been giving people plenty of options to cancel, change or refund. If someone booked with a NRD, took FCCs or lifted and shifted during these uncertain times it is on them. The cruise lines are going to keep the money for as long as they can so they can operate.

Believe it or not there are people who booked their 2021 summer cruise with NRD back in Nov. of 2019 BEFORE Covid19 ever made its appearance.  They have not been given the opportunity to cancel, change or refund without it costing them, even if its only part of their deposit. 

42 minutes ago, Kokomo91165 said:

RCL needs to do the same. This is the responsible thing to do. Many of us have cash locked up in hopes of a vacation that isn’t going to happen. Time to move on and it is the responsibility of the company to go ahead and cancel summer voyages in light of the recent announcement by the CDC. 

NCL has removed the ability to book sailings until Sept 1, 2021 from their website.  When their webpage was questioned about it, this was their response:

"Thank you. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact communities and ports around the globe, we are working to determine our next course of action. While we evaluate the opportunity to resume with sailings, we have temporarily frozen voyages that might be impacted should we need to delay sailing further. Please bear with us. We will make a decision shortly and will provide information as it becomes available."