For those of you approaching final payment here's a strategy to consider.

[NthernLgts]

We have a 12/4/20, 9 day sailing booked on the Explorer.  We originally had a 2D balcony cabin booked and nearly paid for... except for about the final $600.  Final payment was due next Wednesday 8/26.  What my TA did was rebook to an interior 6A cabin, which was $437.00 less than I've already paid.  So the 6A cabin is now paid in full, so no final payment is due next week.  The $437.00 overage is getting refunded to my credit card right away, and now I can wait to see what Royal does with the sailing before I decide to cancel & get a refund (likely) or take a 125% FCC.  The cost of the interior cabin was so much less that I will be able to apply nearly the entire 125% FCC, assuming they offer it, to my new cruise next December. 

 

Either way we will not be taking this year's cruise and, as I mentioned, have already booked the same cruise for next Dec with a much nicer aft balcony cabin.  I'm just not coughing up more money for the final payment, and I should be able to use the entire FCC on one cruise should I decide to roll the dice on that.

 

A big thanks to NancyIL for getting me to consider the rebook of the existing cabin to a lower category.  My TA also knew what I was looking to accomplish and was very helpful making it happen.

[dani negreanu]

Excellent idea. Thanks for posting it, and for giving credit were is due 😁

[yogimax]

Did you have any onboard credit for the original cruise?  If so, what happened to it?

[Hogbay]

But at what point do they start sailing again and you have a lovely interior 6 cabin booked😕

[LMaxwell]

11 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

But at what point do they start sailing again and you have a lovely interior 6 cabin booked😕

Bingo 

[NancyIL]

 

55 minutes ago, NthernLgts said:

...A big thanks to NancyIL for getting me to consider the rebook of the existing cabin to a lower category.  My TA also knew what I was looking to accomplish and was very helpful making it happen.

 

You're welcome, and thanks for the credit! 🙂

 

3 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

But at what point do they start sailing again and you have a lovely interior 6 cabin booked😕

 

The OP had already decided not to go on the cruise - even if it sailed.

 

I fully expected to have to make the final payment on our Nov. 2020 Explorer TA, as we wanted a refund and not a FCC.   Therefore, we changed from an assigned inside to an inside gty - which saved a small amount of money. However, when RCI offered Lift & Shift in early May, we took advantage of it - so now we have an inside gty on the Oct. 2021 Odyssey TA.  We like inside cabins, and we have been happy with previous assigned cabins. Hopefully our good luck will continue on the Odyssey!

[NthernLgts]

18 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Did you have any onboard credit for the original cruise?  If so, what happened to it?

No OBC, but I did have grats included in this years cruise.  Even taking that into account, the rate I got for the better 4D cabin next year was still a better deal, and that doesnt take into account anything I may get with a 125% FCC.  I did pre book an excursion but cancelled that last week.

[NthernLgts]

8 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

 

 

You're welcome, and thanks for the credit! 🙂

 

 

The OP had already decided not to go on the cruise - even if it sailed.

Exactly.  As I stated in my original post, not cruising this year was already decided.  This was all about not giving RCI any more money on this cruise and POSSIBLY getting a FCC that I could actually use.

 

Besides, its highly unlikely this cruise is even going to take place.  Theres too much uncertainty out there right now & I dont want to deal with the HIGH probability of my employer requiring me to wait another 2 weeks at home upon my return.

[karena1]

I will pay my finals and if they don't go, will get the 125% FCCs.  We have so many cruises booked through April 2022 that I can find any number of them to use the FCC's on.

[breezy_carol]

So if it does sail and you don't go, do you lose the entire amount?

 

We have $900 on a cruise in February and I don't want to go now and do not want to invest another $2000 and hope for a cancellation.

[NthernLgts]

4 minutes ago, breezy_carol said:

So if it does sail and you don't go, do you lose the entire amount?

 

We have $900 on a cruise in February and I don't want to go now and do not want to invest another $2000 and hope for a cancellation.

I wont be going on the Dec 2020 cruise either (I booked in January), so this will affect me one way or the other.  Because my 2020 cruise is now paid in full by the final payment date, my options as we know them today will be getting a 100% refund on the cruise returned to my credit card, or, taking a 125% FCC on a future cruise.  From what I have seen so far, RCI is trying not to cancel cruises before final payments are due.  They want that money in their hands and are offering the 125% FCC to keep it there.  Had I cancelled prior to making final payment I believe my only option would have been a 100% credit to a future cruise, no cash refund.

[cruisegus]

interesting strategy,  we have B2B booked late Jan 2021 with final due end of October, but also have our B2B booked same time frame for 2022, so not much chance of being able to do a lift and shift due to wife can't get much more time off work around then.

 

thinking i might just have to eat the deposits as I'm not sinking another 4k into future cruise credits for "who knows when" cruising can really start up again

[breezy_carol]

@NthernLgts, if the cruise sails and you don't, what do you expect will happen with your money?  Is there a way to get a refund then?

[NthernLgts]

4 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

interesting strategy,  we have B2B booked late Jan 2021 with final due end of October, but also have our B2B booked same time frame for 2022, so not much chance of being able to do a lift and shift due to wife can't get much more time off work around then.

 

thinking i might just have to eat the deposits as I'm not sinking another 4k into future cruise credits for "who knows when" cruising can really start up again

One of the main reasons we were willing to do this was because the 2021 cruise we booked is still 16 months away.  If next years cruise had been in May or June cruise I wouldnt have considered it.  Hopefully there will be some resemblance of normalcy by then.  I guess theres a little bit of faith included that RCI will weather the storm too.

 

2 minutes ago, breezy_carol said:

@NthernLgts, if the cruise sails and you don't, what do you expect will happen with your money?  Is there a way to get a refund then?

If the 2020 cruise sails I still wont be on it.  I plan on exercising my option to either cancel outright with a full refund (because I made final payment) or take the 125% FCC for the 2021 cruise.  One of those two options will be done well before the sail date.

[breezy_carol]

10 minutes ago, NthernLgts said:

If the 2020 cruise sails I still wont be on it.  I plan on exercising my option to either cancel outright with a full refund (because I made final payment) or take the 125% FCC for the 2021 cruise.  One of those two options will be done well before the sail date.

Thank you for you responses.  I did not realize there was the option of the passenger cancelling a cruise that sailed  and getting a refund.  I thought it was only if the cruise cancelled.

[firefly333]

17 minutes ago, breezy_carol said:

Thank you for you responses.  I did not realize there was the option of the passenger cancelling a cruise that sailed  and getting a refund.  I thought it was only if the cruise cancelled.

Depends if your deposit is refundable. With cwc if not refundable then you can cancel up to 48 hours and only get fcc. 

 

Otherwise wait and see if rcl cancels. 

[NancyIL]

1 hour ago, NthernLgts said:

 

If the 2020 cruise sails I still wont be on it.  I plan on exercising my option to either cancel outright with a full refund (because I made final payment) or take the 125% FCC for the 2021 cruise.  One of those two options will be done well before the sail date.

I’m pretty sure the only way to get a full refund  is if RCI cancels the cruise. If it sails and you choose not to go, your taxes and port fees will be refunded, but the remainder will be issued as a future ctuise credit.

[Hogbay]

5 hours ago, NancyIL said:

 

 

You're welcome, and thanks for the credit! 🙂

 

 

The OP had already decided not to go on the cruise - even if it sailed.

 

I fully expected to have to make the final payment on our Nov. 2020 Explorer TA, as we wanted a refund and not a FCC.   Therefore, we changed from an assigned inside to an inside gty - which saved a small amount of money. However, when RCI offered Lift & Shift in early May, we took advantage of it - so now we have an inside gty on the Oct. 2021 Odyssey TA.  We like inside cabins, and we have been happy with previous assigned cabins. Hopefully our good luck will continue on the Odyssey!

I am so sorry , i must misunderstand the thread . I thought it was about ALL of us approaching final payment and strategy to consider , not your good luck and love of inside cabins . We have experienced a inside cabin , once,and it's a fact that the ship's that were quarantined did confined the pax's  24 / 7 to their room .

[Ourusualbeach]

2 hours ago, NthernLgts said:

One of the main reasons we were willing to do this was because the 2021 cruise we booked is still 16 months away.  If next years cruise had been in May or June cruise I wouldnt have considered it.  Hopefully there will be some resemblance of normalcy by then.  I guess theres a little bit of faith included that RCI will weather the storm too.

 

If the 2020 cruise sails I still wont be on it.  I plan on exercising my option to either cancel outright with a full refund (because I made final payment) or take the 125% FCC for the 2021 cruise.  One of those two options will be done well before the sail date.

If you cancel you do not get the option for a refund.  You can cancel without penalty Up until 48 hours prior to the day of sailing but you get a 100% FCC on all monies paid 

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Depends if your deposit is refundable. With cwc if not refundable then you can cancel up to 48 hours and only get fcc. 

 

Otherwise wait and see if rcl cancels. 

Doesn’t matter if it’s a refundable deposit or a non refundable deposit...they would be after final payment...FCC only under CWC if they cancel.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, breezy_carol said:

Thank you for you responses.  I did not realize there was the option of the passenger cancelling a cruise that sailed  and getting a refund.  I thought it was only if the cruise cancelled.

There isn’t an option for a refund if the passenger cancels after final Paymrnt. 

[Ourusualbeach]

2 hours ago, cruisegus said:

interesting strategy,  we have B2B booked late Jan 2021 with final due end of October, but also have our B2B booked same time frame for 2022, so not much chance of being able to do a lift and shift due to wife can't get much more time off work around then.

 

thinking i might just have to eat the deposits as I'm not sinking another 4k into future cruise credits for "who knows when" cruising can really start up again

You can cancel and get a FCC for the full deposit amount with no penalty.

[firefly333]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Doesn’t matter if it’s a refundable deposit or a non refundable deposit...they would be after final payment...FCC only under CWC if they cancel.

Ok I assumed they were cancelling before final payment. Agree after they cant.

[NancyIL]

13 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

I am so sorry , i must misunderstand the thread . I thought it was about ALL of us approaching final payment and strategy to consider , not your good luck and love of inside cabins . We have experienced a inside cabin , once,and it's a fact that the ship's that were quarantined did confined the pax's  24 / 7 to their room .

The thread is about how to pay less money to RCI if you think your ship won’t sail, but your final payment is due before RCI cancels the cruise. The strategy is to change your reservation to a less expensive cabin - if available. 

 

 I related that we did this for our upcoming Nov. Transatlantic cruise, as we had no intention of taking it if it sailed. This was also before RCI offered the Lift & Shift option. I wouldn't want to be quarantined in any cabin, but I don’t intend to book a balcony cabin just in case.
 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

32 minutes ago, Hogbay said:

I am so sorry , i must misunderstand the thread . I thought it was about ALL of us approaching final payment and strategy to consider , not your good luck and love of inside cabins . We have experienced a inside cabin , once,and it's a fact that the ship's that were quarantined did confined the pax's  24 / 7 to their room .

It is an easy way for those with a non refundable deposit to get it refunded without paying Royal as much money at final payment.