Cancelling or changing cruise with nonrefundable deposit

My boyfriend and I planned a norweigan fjords cruise for this August to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. He broke up with me today. We booked with a non-refundable deposit and no, we didn't have insurance. I know insurance is to cover those unexpected situations (like this) but I never expected this to happen.

My cruise receipt says I can cancel before June 2 and just lose my $500 deposit, which I may do. At this point, $500 is the least of my concerns. Or, it says I can change the ship/cruise for a fee of $100 per person. Does anyone know if this means I can change it to ANY cruise? Can I just change mine and leave his as it is since he's the one who caused this mess? Would I then just pay $100? Or do I have to pay $100 for each of us since we're in the same cabin If I change only mine, would he be stuck with paying the full fare as a solo? Sorry if these are stupid questions Not thinking clearly.

Also, we have nonrefundable flights to London on American Airlines. I assume there's no wiggle room there or no penalty for changing the flight? I know it's nonrefundable but didn't know if there was a way to change it and just pay extra.

I'm sure the fine print is out there somewhere and yes, I should have had insurance. But I am truly heartbroken and not thinking clearly at the moment and appreciate any kind replies.

I would call Royal and see if they can do anything for you. All they can do is say NO, but to me worth a try.

Can you change the person you're going with? It seems to be an amazing cruise, one not to miss. I know it sounds sort of glib, and please don't take it that way but I will travel with you..... 60y/o female but like to have fun. We have all had our heart broken more than once unfortunately. :(

OP, First of all, I am very sorry about the breakup. Did you or someone else book the cruise? If so, did you book through Royal or a travel agent?

I am going to assume you booked it, paid the deposit and booked directly with Royal. If all of that is true, call Royal and explain the situation. I rebooked a cruise for one which had a nonrefundable deposit. All it cost was the $100 per person, and the rest of my deposit was applied toward my replacement cruise (different ship, different sailing date).

In my experience, airlines sometimes will issue a credit even on a nonrefundable fare, though there may be some penalties involved.

But I am with a previous poster. Why not go on the cruise with someone else? You already have airfare and paid the deposit, so if it is something you still want to do, maybe do it without the ex.

I know this sucks, but hang in there and good luck figuring all of this out.

You can still take the cruise without him.

[emoji22] Sorry.

My advice is not to jump the gun yet. Things change and you never know if something will get worked out before the cancellation date. If the breakup was just today, and you’ve been together for 10 years, it’s safe to say that there’s a chance the differences will get resolved and the trip will go as planned.

Don’t make a rash decision based on your feelings today; they’re too fresh. Let a month or two pass and then decide what to do.

You can always swap out a friend for his place, and that friend can pay him his $250 (or maybe you can negotiate $150 or $200- since he would lose money by cancelling anyway). Or, vice versa, have him find a friend to take your place.

Otherwise, you will both lose $100, and you will each get $150 cruise credit to use on a future cruise. You wont get the whole $300, nor can he agree to give it to you. They’ll assign it in his name, and it’s non transferable.

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OP, First of all, I am very sorry about the breakup. Did you or someone else book the cruise? If so, did you book through Royal or a travel agent?

 

I am going to assume you booked it, paid the deposit and booked directly with Royal. If all of that is true, call Royal and explain the situation. I rebooked a cruise for one which had a nonrefundable deposit. All it cost was the $100 per person, and the rest of my deposit was applied toward my replacement cruise (different ship, different sailing date).

 

In my experience, airlines sometimes will issue a credit even on a nonrefundable fare, though there may be some penalties involved.

 

But I am with a previous poster. Why not go on the cruise with someone else? You already have airfare and paid the deposit, so if it is something you still want to do, maybe do it without the ex.

 

I know this sucks, but hang in there and good luck figuring all of this out.

I did book it myself directly through RC. I will be open to going on the cruise with someone else, but it's expensive and would require 7 days off work (we had planned to do a few days in London before the cruise so our flights are about 10 days apart). I don't really have friends/family who can pay that kind of money and/or take that much time off work. I do appreciate your suggestion though.

If I rebook a different cruise at a different time on a different ship (say, a Caribbean with my mom in January) would I pay the $100 fee just for me or would I have to pay $200 for both him and me?

[emoji22] Sorry.

My advice is not to jump the gun yet. Things change and you never know if something will get worked out before the cancellation date. If the breakup was just today, and you’ve been together for 10 years, it’s safe to say that there’s a chance the differences will get resolved and the trip will go as planned.

 

Don’t make a rash decision based on your feelings today; they’re too fresh. Let a month or two pass and then decide what to do.

 

You can always swap out a friend for his place, and that friend can pay him his $250 (or maybe you can negotiate $150 or $200- since he would lose money by cancelling anyway). Or, vice versa, have him find a friend to take your place.

 

Otherwise, you will both lose $100, and you will each get $150 cruise credit to use on a future cruise. You wont get the whole $300, nor can he agree to give it to you. They’ll assign it in his name, and it’s non transferable.

 

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He seemed pretty set on his decision and said he has feelings for someone else. :(

Final payment is due in 2 days so I need to make a decision. Unfortunately I can't take a few months to see how things shake out, but that's definitely not a bad suggestion.

I did book it myself directly through RC. I will be open to going on the cruise with someone else, but it's expensive and would require 7 days off work (we had planned to do a few days in London before the cruise so our flights are about 10 days apart). I don't really have friends/family who can pay that kind of money and/or take that much time off work. I do appreciate your suggestion though.

 

If I rebook a different cruise at a different time on a different ship (say, a Caribbean with my mom in January) would I pay the $100 fee just for me or would I have to pay $200 for both him and me?

You only would get $150 towards the new cruise

When a cruise is cancelled

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Hit reply by accident

If you are changing a cruise to a new ship and or date you will be charged a $100 fee. The balance of the deposit of $150 per person will be reissued as a Future Cruise Credit to each person on the reservation. It does not matter who paid the deposit.

In your case you would only receive a FCC of $150.00.

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So sorry. I cruise all the time by myself, single parent(Dad) & my 3 kids are now in college. Consider going yourself or possibly name change to second passenger. I'd give to think it out. Sorry again...

Can the FCC be used towards the deposit on the new cruise?

Call the airline. In my experience a non refundable flight means you can still use the value of the fare paid less the change fee. So that is not a total loss!

Can the FCC be used towards the deposit on the new cruise?

If it's like the FCC I got when my Radiance cruise was canceled, then no it can't. I was lucky enough to have a next cruise cert lying around and used that instead of having to cough up $250 for my replacement cruise.

My boyfriend and I planned a norweigan fjords cruise for this August to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. He broke up with me today. We booked with a non-refundable deposit and no, we didn't have insurance. I know insurance is to cover those unexpected situations (like this) but I never expected this to happen.

 

My cruise receipt says I can cancel before June 2 and just lose my $500 deposit, which I may do. At this point, $500 is the least of my concerns. Or, it says I can change the ship/cruise for a fee of $100 per person. Does anyone know if this means I can change it to ANY cruise? Can I just change mine and leave his as it is since he's the one who caused this mess? Would I then just pay $100? Or do I have to pay $100 for each of us since we're in the same cabin If I change only mine, would he be stuck with paying the full fare as a solo? Sorry if these are stupid questions Not thinking clearly.

 

Also, we have nonrefundable flights to London on American Airlines. I assume there's no wiggle room there or no penalty for changing the flight? I know it's nonrefundable but didn't know if there was a way to change it and just pay extra.

 

I'm sure the fine print is out there somewhere and yes, I should have had insurance. But I am truly heartbroken and not thinking clearly at the moment and appreciate any kind replies.

Sorry your in that position. Each passenger had a down payment of $250 for a total of $500/room. From what I read when we booked our nonrefundable cruise, if we were to cancel before the final payment date we would lose $100/passenger of the deposit and then other $150/passenger would be in the form of a credit for a future cruise to be booked within a year.

I'm sorry about the breakup. Been there, and they suck.

My vote would be to still go. What type of cabin did you have? Maybe there's a less expensive cabin on the same ship that you can afford on your own. Go and have a good time. Call Royal Caribbean and see what your options are.

https://www.letsmend.com/posts/5-things-i-learned-traveling-alone-after-a-breakup

https://www.letsmend.com/posts/10-reasons-to-travel-after-a-breakup

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/breakup-travel-feat/index.html

There are lots more. I just found these by Googling.

He seemed pretty set on his decision and said he has feelings for someone else. [emoji20]

 

 

 

Final payment is due in 2 days so I need to make a decision. Unfortunately I can't take a few months to see how things shake out, but that's definitely not a bad suggestion.

Oh, August is just around the corner, I don’t know what I was thinking. If he doesn’t feel compelled to pay for the cruise, then I would cut your losses and take the $100 hit, and keep the $150 future cruise credit just in case you can use it another time. You might have to take a loss on the airfare. If I were you and could swing the expense, I would try to go by myself, at least to the first 10 day land portion of your trip, and change the flight home for whatever fee they charge you.

$250, or $100, is a small price to pay to cut your losses. I’ve seen people go bankrupt because of a split, lose their homes and possessions and all kinds of things. Count yourself lucky...I guess. I’m sorry you’re going through this. I hope you can find a way to take the trip without him. Screw him.

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Thank you, everyone, for the kind replies. And thank you also for not telling me I should have had insurance. :) I always take the chance of not getting insurance and this time it backfired. But I never thought this would happen. It truly came as a shock.

I understand the $100 penalty now and understand the $150 would be applied towards a future cruise. Many, many thanks to everyone who explained this in detail. I tried to read it on RC's website but it wasn't making sense to me. Again, not thinking clearly today. You all broke it down and explained it in layman's terms. Can anyone tell me if I can make this change (cancel the current cruise and rebook a new cruise) online or do I have to call?

American Airlines charges a $200 change fee. My round trip flight to London was $900 so I'm not sure if this means I would have $700 to use as credit towards future flights that must be used in a year? Not sure when I would use that much credit on AA. That's my concern with changing it.

I am still torn between cancelling the cruise and cutting my losses or planning to go. Losing $350 isn't the worst thing. Could be much worse. Part of me wants to just cancel it and try to forget about the whole thing and part of me still wants to go on this trip--what he and I were calling the trip of a lifetime. I worry I'd be too sad to go by myself and worry about paying the entire solo cost. We had a pretty expensive cabin type. I was hopeful my mom could go with me but it's a bad time for her to take off work. I know no one can tell me if I should cancel or go, but I am so torn and have to decide in a day. All on no sleep with puffy eyes. :(

Thanks again everyone.

I'm sorry about the breakup. Been there, and they suck.

 

My vote would be to still go. What type of cabin did you have? Maybe there's a less expensive cabin on the same ship that you can afford on your own. Go and have a good time. Call Royal Caribbean and see what your options are.

 

https://www.letsmend.com/posts/5-things-i-learned-traveling-alone-after-a-breakup

 

https://www.letsmend.com/posts/10-reasons-to-travel-after-a-breakup

 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/breakup-travel-feat/index.html

 

There are lots more. I just found these by Googling.

Thank you for these links. I needed that.

We had a panoramic oceanview room. Pretty pricey for me to cover on my own. I think the Norwegian fjords cruises sell out months in advance so I don't know if a cheaper cabin is even a possibility. I can check though. I just worry about being too sad to enjoy it if I go by myself. If I'm in my room crying the whole time, that's not a good use of money! :)

If You change the name before you change the cruise, the FCC will be in the name of the person you want to go on the new cruise with you.

Have you considered just canceling the cruise and spending the week in London? One thing you have to keep in mind about European cruises is that the cruise/air cost is only part of your expense........you still have to consider tours in each port and that can add up quickly. Not sure if just hanging out in London would be an option.

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It sounds like you final payment is tomorrow.

If so, you want to make up your mind TODAY.

If you cancel, you will get a future cruise credit for the amount of the deposit minus $100 per person. One thing is though, you will get YOUR deposit back minus the $100 and he will get HIS deposit back, minus the $100.

It does not matter who paid the deposit, only whose name is on the booking.

Hmm, I wonder if you could call and change his name (if you booked and "own" the reservation), THEN cancel and that person get the future cruise credit?

For airfares, non-refundable normally works the same way, you can change to other flights, but minus some change fee. And you have to book the travel within 12 months of the original flight.

Once you hit final payment, you have to pay for the cruise, or it gets cancelled. You can change names on the booking up to 24 hours before sailing.

I agree with the above, you may want to just fly to UK and spend the time there. In London, the museums are free. GREAT city. Good eating. Great shows. Can be great shopping. I enjoy London. And I have been a number of times, and still look forward to going back.

It sounds like you final payment is tomorrow.

 

If so, you want to make up your mind TODAY.

 

If you cancel, you will get a future cruise credit for the amount of the deposit minus $100 per person. One thing is though, you will get YOUR deposit back minus the $100 and he will get HIS deposit back, minus the $100.

 

It does not matter who paid the deposit, only whose name is on the booking.

 

Hmm, I wonder if you could call and change his name (if you booked and "own" the reservation), THEN cancel and that person get the future cruise credit?

 

For airfares, non-refundable normally works the same way, you can change to other flights, but minus some change fee. And you have to book the travel within 12 months of the original flight.

 

Once you hit final payment, you have to pay for the cruise, or it gets cancelled. You can change names on the booking up to 24 hours before sailing.

 

I agree with the above, you may want to just fly to UK and spend the time there. In London, the museums are free. GREAT city. Good eating. Great shows. Can be great shopping. I enjoy London. And I have been a number of times, and still look forward to going back.

On American, you have to book to travel within 12 months of the original purchase date, just got caught by that one:(

The substitution of land vs. cruise vacation is an option. But seriously consider all your "land" costs of lodging, food and transportation. Arguably, the cost of excursions/activities would be comparable. I vote to turn this into lemonade. The trip would still be "once in a lifetime" but not sharing it with the original travelling companion. Do agree with downgrading the cabin to make it more affordable.

Even though emotions are running high now so close to the breakup, I trust you will be in a better place emotionally in 2-3 months. Wouldn't it be nice looking forward to a grand experience? I promise you there are trials and tribulations along with moments of joy possible for all of us, so make a choice to enjoy the good times.