So from the very Top - to use FCCs a further deposit is required

[Ourusualbeach]

5 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Not only do you get to fork up another deposit but then if you don't end up using the full value of the FCC you have to book another cruise with another new deposit before the FCC expires.

You don’t have to pay another deposit.  Just call to book and all you have to pay is port fees and taxes.  You are correct that if you don’t use it all you get another a FCC for the balance issued after you complete the first cruise. 

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That is exactly how it works.  Problems arise when people book on line and pay a deposit then apply an FCC later and can’t get any of the deposit refunded. 
 

Policy hasn’t changed, I just did that today. 

 

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You don’t have to pay another deposit.  Just call to book and all you have to pay is port fees and taxes.  You are correct that if you don’t use it all you get another a FCC for the balance issued after you complete the first cruise. 

Thanks, my thick head is finally comprehending this. If you have an FCC do not book on line.

[Ourusualbeach]

8 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

 

Thanks, my thick head is finally comprehending this. If you have an FCC do not book on line.

Winner!!

 

Downside is that you have to wait until the FCC is issued to book.  Many want to lock in the rate and cabin before that.  That’s where a TA’s being able to hold rooms and rates with no deposit until May 31 came in handy. 

[ZoeyVictoria]

I recently booked a cruise online for March 2021 and paid the $500 deposit.  My intent was to lock in the rate and cabin and have a place to move the money from the cruise I expect to have cancelled soon (sailing date is June 15).  The balance on the new cruise is more than the total of the original cruise.  When the cancellation is announced, will Royal move the entire amount to the new cruise, or will they refund the port fees/taxes?  Then I could wait ninety days to receive the refund and give it right back to them 🙄

[Ocean Boy]

7 minutes ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

I recently booked a cruise online for March 2021 and paid the $500 deposit.  My intent was to lock in the rate and cabin and have a place to move the money from the cruise I expect to have cancelled soon (sailing date is June 15).  The balance on the new cruise is more than the total of the original cruise.  When the cancellation is announced, will Royal move the entire amount to the new cruise, or will they refund the port fees/taxes?  Then I could wait ninety days to receive the refund and give it right back to them 🙄

It sounds to me, if I finally have this straight, the port taxes and fees are always refunded with a cancelled cruise. Now we will see if @Ourusualbeach says yes or no....

[ZoeyVictoria]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

It sounds to me, if I finally have this straight, the port taxes and fees are always refunded with a cancelled cruise. Now we will see if @Ourusualbeach says yes or no....

Yes, that is what I got out of all of this.  It seems like a lot of wasted effort, so maybe we are wrong and common sense will prevail.

[SNJCruisers]

5 hours ago, molly361 said:

I

I find all this FCC very confusing.  Guess I will have my TA figure it out when the time comes😇

But the problem is you really need to know what the cost of your future cruise is that you would want to utilize the FCC on in order to have a clearer picture of your options and whether or not to take the refund.  You can always accept the FCC and then cash it in and request the refund by whatever date RCI has attached to your FCC.

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

It sounds to me, if I finally have this straight, the port taxes and fees are always refunded with a cancelled cruise. Now we will see if @Ourusualbeach says yes or no....

You’ve got it.😀

[Ourusualbeach]

17 minutes ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

I recently booked a cruise online for March 2021 and paid the $500 deposit.  My intent was to lock in the rate and cabin and have a place to move the money from the cruise I expect to have cancelled soon (sailing date is June 15).  The balance on the new cruise is more than the total of the original cruise.  When the cancellation is announced, will Royal move the entire amount to the new cruise, or will they refund the port fees/taxes?  Then I could wait ninety days to receive the refund and give it right back to them 🙄

Your port fees and taxes will be refunded.  The cruise fare will be issued as a FCC.  This can be applied against the new cruise.  What you have paid as a deposit on your new cruise  can be applied to the port fees and taxes and Any remaining money is deducted from the cruise fare.  The balance of the cruise fare can be paid for with the FCC.  Any leftover FCC will be issued as a new FCC upon completion of that cruise.

 

Tip:  say you paid a $500 deposit and port fees were $300.  They would then reduce the amount of cruise fare by $200 that you could apply the FCC to.  If you add prepaid gratuities to the reservation say $200 then the deposit could be applied to port fees $300 and gratuities $200 leaving the full amount of the cruise fare to have the FCC applied to it. 

[ZoeyVictoria]

I had to read that four times and think it through, but I get it now.  I need to make a note on my cruise spreadsheet so I will remember why I need prepaid gratuities. 125% of the cruise fare plus port fees from the original cruise add up to $10 more than the balance on the new cruise.  Port fees are $266, gratuities are $203, and deposit was $500 on the new cruise.  If I don’t add prepaid gratuities, I will wind up with a second, small FCC that I can’t use until March 2021.  I will add the gratuities, thank you very much for saving me from more of a headache.  I have cruises that I am sure will be cancelled and know where I want those refunds/FCCs applied, and it is getting really complicated.  I have a “notes” column on the spreadsheet that was rarely used in the past, but full of comments lately.

[cruzn13]

Had a B2B on the Symphony cancelled, April 18, and April 25. Just got first 125% FCC. Was almost $200 less the price we paid for the cruise to begin with!!!!! As has been said 125% is just smoke and mirrors, as is most of RCL   {sales}... What a joke have been loyal to Royal with 35 cruises but may have to rethink. Also the same cruise for next April is $500 more.

Edited April 30, 2020 by cruzn13
added to it

[firefly333]

20 minutes ago, cruzn13 said:

Had a B2B on the Symphony cancelled, April 18, and April 25. Just got first 125% FCC. Was almost $200 less the price we paid for the cruise to begin with!!!!! As has been said 125% is just smoke and mirrors, as is most of RCL   {sales}... What a joke have been loyal to Royal with 35 cruises but may have to rethink. Also the same cruise for next April is $500 more.

Is there someone else on the canc booking who also got a fcc. It should be 125% of the cruisefare portion, not less than the original cruisefare. Something is missing

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

  With the extra FCC you would get maybe you could upgrade cabins 

Should emphasize the maybe.  If your original booking was made well in advance, it was probably at a reduced rate and now combined with many people redeeming FCC's for 2021, if you were looking to cruise at the same time next year, it could be higher because of the increased demand combined with the reduced time frame between booking and sailing next year.

I say this because we booked 18 months out for our late June cruise to Bermuda and the comparable time frame  14 months out for next year is already higher and the 125% would just cover it.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, cruzn13 said:

Had a B2B on the Symphony cancelled, April 18, and April 25. Just got first 125% FCC. Was almost $200 less the price we paid for the cruise to begin with!!!!! As has been said 125% is just smoke and mirrors, as is most of RCL   {sales}... What a joke have been loyal to Royal with 35 cruises but may have to rethink. Also the same cruise for next April is $500 more.

Each person gets an a FCC.  Of you booked under a 60% off second guest then that number sounds about right for the first guest.  FCC’s are issued based on what each guest paid. 
 

since yours has been issued call 800.256.6649 to find out where the other FCC is or why there’s a discrepancy. 

[Pumbaamd]

Can you book with your FCC on board ship? Not worrying about OBC by booking on board, just would to sit down face to face with a live RCL agent.

R & D

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, Pumbaamd said:

Can you book with your FCC on board ship? Not worrying about OBC by booking on board, just would to sit down face to face with a live RCL agent.

R & D

I wouldnt want to. First off you have to pay a cash deposit .. the fcc is only for the balance.

 

I plan on waiting to see if my price drops, if you paid it off early with fcc, might not get price drops. I see only downside to booking onboard with fcc. Ok to talk to someone once cruises start, but I wouldnt apply my fcc, unless it's a last minute.

[ughreally]

THIS is the exact reason we asked for our cash back when they cancelled our March sailing. We had already paid $250 deposits for four people ($1000). A little math on the situation and we realized we'd have to spend another $2000 on top of our original budget to use their 125% cruise credit which can only be applied to fare and not onboard credit. Too many restrictions!

[soloadventurer]

16 hours ago, Jimbo said:

that sounds exactly how it should happen, paying that extra deposit  money sounds stupid

Totally but tell that to Royal Ex’S

[soloadventurer]

15 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That is exactly how it works.  Problems arise when people book on line and pay a deposit then apply an FCC later and can’t get any of the deposit refunded. 
 

Policy hasn’t changed, I just did that today. 

 

Wrong we booked both cruises over the phone with RC and the policy is clear from the Executive office FCCs can’t be used to pay for deposits.  

[Ourusualbeach]

5 minutes ago, soloadventurer said:

 

Wrong we booked both cruises over the phone with RC and the policy is clear from the Executive office FCCs can’t be used to pay for deposits.  

I've done it.  Only paid taxes and fees

 

26. Can Future Cruise Credits be used to pay for the deposit owed on my client’s reservation? A Global Sailing Suspension FCC cannot be used to simply pay for the cruise deposit. However, if the gross cruise fare is less than the amount of the FCC, no payment would be required other than the amount due for taxes and fees. If the FCC does not cover the gross cruise fare, the guest will be required to pay either the balance due, or the deposit amount, whichever is lower. Guests awaiting the delivery of their FCC can take advantage of the automatic option extension to May 31, 2020, at which time the FCC must be applied.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[soloadventurer]

Further update on a cruise cancelled in March.

 

( FCCs came through during the night for the 2 April cruises after me emailing Ex Office) 

 

So once again I’m doing the chasing - rings RC this morning re the cancellation in March (paid in full again) and how all of the money except for the deposits would transfer to a new booking - leaving FCCs for the deposits ( cruise with confidence started 6th March) cancelled ( 7th March ) the guy on was great phone and could see everything but no FCCs had been issued - could see the agent had spoken to their supervisor - so to cut the story short they’re going have to listen to a recording of the conversations to see if my story is right 🙄 you couldn’t make it up LOL 

 

I said I’ve screen shots of the cancellation confirmation & the confirmation of the new booking and the differences ( and the date was after RC introduced cruise with confidence )

 

I must say the Agent was very understanding and very helpful and promised it would be sorted ( either he would ring me or the original agent ) 

[soloadventurer]

18 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I've done it.  Only paid taxes and fees

 

26. Can Future Cruise Credits be used to pay for the deposit owed on my client’s reservation? A Global Sailing Suspension FCC cannot be used to simply pay for the cruise deposit. However, if the gross cruise fare is less than the amount of the FCC, no payment would be required other than the amount due for taxes and fees. If the FCC does not cover the gross cruise fare, the guest will be required to pay either the balance due, or the deposit amount, whichever is lower. Guests awaiting the delivery of their FCC can take advantage of the automatic option extension to May 31, 2020, at which time the FCC must be applied.

 

Well maybe there’s one rule for Travel agents and another for the Plebs !!
 

Or maybe the Executive Office are wrong when they stated this in the email to me

 

 “In order to apply Future Cruise Certificates to any reservation, we must have by minimum the deposit amount on the booking, and we cannot waive deposit on any reservation. I genuinely apologize for this.“

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, soloadventurer said:

 

Well maybe there’s one rule for Travel agents and another for the Plebs !!
 

Or maybe the Executive Office are wrong when they stated this in the email to me

 

 “In order to apply Future Cruise Certificates to any reservation, we must have by minimum the deposit amount on the booking, and we cannot waive deposit on any reservation. I genuinely apologize for this.“

 

 

As I posted before, they gave you a partial answer. Which in theory if you did not ask specifically if the deposit could be applied to taxes and fees, prepaid gratuities, insurance and transfers is correct.

 

It was a very poor response.

 

Edit:  Are you booking under North American rules?

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[soloadventurer]

7 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

As I posted before, they gave you a partial answer. Which in theory if you did not ask specifically if the deposit could be applied to taxes and fees, prepaid gratuities, insurance and transfers is correct.

 

It was a very poor response.

 

Edit:  Are you booking under North American rules?

 

 

 

 

Are all the rules not the same given Covid-19  ? Ie cruise with confidence 

 

No they gave a factual answer to a factual question - why if ive paid 2 deposits for 2 cruises and yous cancelled them why are you making me paid another deposit to use FCCs 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by soloadventurer

[Ourusualbeach]

8 minutes ago, soloadventurer said:

 

 

Are all the rules not the same given Covid-19  ? Ie cruise with confidence 

 

No they gave a factual answer to a factual question - why if ive paid 2 deposits for 2 cruises and yous cancelled them why are you making me paid another deposit to use FCCs 

 

Like I said you can pay taxes only(as they were refunded from your last cruise).  Sorry it didn't work out that way for you