Savings but Refundable to Non Refundable - What's your Threshold?

[LuCruise]

I know this is a personal decision but just curious what others would do...If you had a non-refundable booking but then the new 'sale' at non-refundable ends up being cheaper, how much would the savings have to be to switch?

 

With current sale and last, we would save $20-75 if booking non-refundable (hard to say exact since we book in CAD but OBC is USD). However, our original booking was before they introduced non-refundable and thus we would be switching from refundable to non-refundable. We have all plans to keep our cruise but as its not until 2019 you never know if some family emergency, etc. will affect things.

[Clarea]

The cruise would have to be no more than 6 months away, and the savings a few hundred dollars.

[irishgal432]

I normally book suites so it is always non refundable for me.

 

With that being said, I normally have about 5 or 6 booked a year with every intention of going. But as you said, booking far out and things happen like my nieces wedding, illness, work travel plans etc make it harder to justify booking that many without the option of changing the booking especially if I am taking my 3 21 year olds.

 

So now I have only 2 booked that I will be taking. Unless it is a special cruise, I won't be booking until after final payment when plans are firmed up or booking a unique itinerary like the Fjords or Australia that will not change. I have also decided to do more land trips and enjoy some of the places I visited on cruises, so my vacation money is now being split in many different arenas.

[SRF]

For me, it would have to be more than $100. So if I made one change, I would be even.

 

But like the other poster, I tend to book suites, and so are always NRD.

[LuCruise]

Thanks for the replies. Never noticed that suites are always non-refundable. Suites are always out of our price range for family of four (and needing airfare too).

 

That's a good threshold...$100 or more. I don't think we'd be lucky enough to save a few hundred dollars since we're on a new ship during march break but I still look daily.

 

irishgal, we're also debating in booking a small cruise end of the summer or land vacation. So nice that you will be spending more time at some of the stops from previous cruises. That's what cruising is all about...it gives you a taste so you can see if you want to return and see more. Enjoy!

[molly361]

I definitely would not do it for $20 - $75 I would say it would have to be over $200 on a 7 night cruise and like Bob said no more than 6 months out.

[JillK]

I guess what you really have to decide is how much you are willing to loose if you do have to cancel your cruise.

 

If you book non-refundable and cancel outright, you loose your deposit. Conversely, you do have the ability to use your deposit on a new booking if you cruise within 12 months, but you are also assessed a fee for the cancellation of $100 per person. Here's the language I received in an emailed quote from an RCI cruise planner:

 

*A booking made under the non-refundable deposit cruise fare rate (an "NRD Booking") requires the payment of a non-refundable deposit at the time of booking. The deposit is not refundable at any time after it has been paid. Payment of full deposit and full name are required for each guest at the time of booking. Deposit made toward Guarantees and Grand Suites and higher categories are non-refundable and subject to NRD Booking terms.

 

If the guest cancels an NRD Booking prior to the final payment due date, the cancellation terms of the cruise ticket contract apply, and Royal Caribbean will issue a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit paid minus a $100USD per person service fee to the guest named on the cancelled NRD Booking (the "FCC"). The FCC is applicable only towards the purchase of a Royal Caribbean cruise and expires 12-months after the issue date (the "Expiration Date"). Any amount remaining after the Expiration Date will be void and forfeited. The FCC is non-transferable, non-refundable, and not redeemable for any other form of compensation, credit, or cash. For NRD Bookings that require a deposit of $100USD or less, no FCC or any other compensation or credit of any kind will be issued.

 

Each time the guest changes the ship or sail date of an NRD Booking prior to the final payment due date, payments made towards the NRD Booking will be applied to the balance of the modified booking and a $100USD per person service fee will be charged to the modified booking.

 

 

Personally, I'm not willing to gamble the larger potential loss of having to cancel the cruise. With aging parents and four kids, cancelling is a real possibility so I prefer to have the flexibility to do so without penalty.

 

But for others who don't have the same concern, this is a possible avenue for additional savings.

[LuCruise]

I definitely would not do it for $20 - $75 I would say it would have to be over $200 on a 7 night cruise and like Bob said no more than 6 months out.

 

Yes, thinking about it, this is a very good guide. Thank you. I guess for now I should be comparing the refundable cost as well...which is more than our current booking.

 

JillK, thanks. For us it would be $400 lost if we had to cancel and since we are tied to school holidays (as we no longer want to take our kids out of school), re-booking isn't super flexible. Good food for thought...we definitely should have a good savings in order to swtich to non-refundable.

[Spurschick]

If there is any sort of discount on final payment date for switching do it. At that point you are locked in anyway :D

[birdylady]

The cruise we booked for 2019 was over $200 pp for refundable. We figured IF we cancel, we would be out less on the NRD, then if we don't cancel. SO, we risked it and went with NRD. Everyone has to figure what works best for them.

 

Erika

[LuCruise]

The cruise we booked for 2019 was over $200 pp for refundable. We figured IF we cancel, we would be out less on the NRD, then if we don't cancel. SO, we risked it and went with NRD. Everyone has to figure what works best for them.

 

Erika

 

Makes sense. I assume you booked for 2 people.

[birdylady]

Makes sense. I assume you booked for 2 people.

Yes, sorry. It's hubby and myself.

 

Erika

[John&LaLa]

I normally book suites so it is always non refundable for me.

 

With that being said, I normally have about 5 or 6 booked a year with every intention of going. But as you said, booking far out and things happen like my nieces wedding, illness, work travel plans etc make it harder to justify booking that many without the option of changing the booking especially if I am taking my 3 21 year olds.

 

So now I have only 2 booked that I will be taking. Unless it is a special cruise, I won't be booking until after final payment when plans are firmed up or booking a unique itinerary like the Fjords or Australia that will not change. I have also decided to do more land trips and enjoy some of the places I visited on cruises, so my vacation money is now being split in many different arenas.

Seems finding a suite is going to be a problem if you wait till final payment

 

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[Aggiebuttercup]

I switched to non-refundable when the savings were more than the cost of me buying trip insurance that lets me cancel for any reason. I buy the trip insurance at the same time I make the switch, just in case.

 

I booked my next cruise 2 years out (and still have 1 year to go!)...so I know anything can happen between now and then.

[riclop]

If you book with the right on line TA, which we can't name ,you can get the non refundable rate at a refundable option with a little less OBC and a reduced deposit. Look around !!!!!

[tinkertwo]

I'm Canadian as well and just switched our refundable to a non. The cost to make the change was $60 Canadian total for 2 of us however we received $275 US as a OBC. With exchange rates be approximate, that means we are ahead about $228 US or about $294 Canadian.

 

This is the first of a B2B. The second one would cost us about $500 more to change so that was left alone.

[Hokie79]

Saving would have to be more then I would lose or 400. Booking for 4 people. Also would need to be 6-12 months out, no more.

 

I already flipped both of my booking for this year to non refundable because the savings and OBC was too much to pass up.

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

I would look into switching to NRD for a savings if I am 2 weeks out from final payment.