Non refundable deposit question

[klb1978]

I booked a cruise for December 2020 in February.  I knew I had a non refundable deposit but was under the impression I could still cancel but loose $100 pp so basically cancel and get $450 of my $750 deposit back.  I called today to cancel and they say $750 in future cruise credit or lift and shift.  Is that accurate?  I’m so confused and now I need to make a decision as final is due on Monday 😩

[Ourusualbeach]

18 minutes ago, klb1978 said:

I booked a cruise for December 2020 in February.  I knew I had a non refundable deposit but was under the impression I could still cancel but loose $100 pp so basically cancel and get $450 of my $750 deposit back.  I called today to cancel and they say $750 in future cruise credit or lift and shift.  Is that accurate?  I’m so confused and now I need to make a decision as final is due on Monday 😩

They are correct.  Under Cruise with confidence penalties are waived if you cancel by Sept 30th and you get back 100% of your deposit as a FCC.  Without the Cruise with confidence you would have had a $400 penalty and received $450 back as a FCC.

 

in addition you can change to any ship or sail date at prevailing rates without penalty or 

 

lift and shift your booking to a sailing 48 to 56 weeks in the future (excluding Christmas and New Years) for a cruise that is the same itinerary type, same length and for the same category.  This will be price protected. To see your available lift and shift options go to Royals website and under Cruise with Confidence select cancel your cruise and you will see lift and shift.  From there you can see all your options.

Edited September 6, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[cruisefoodie1946]

My final payment date is sept 23 for a cruise on dec 23,2020, what happens if I skip final payment waiting for a future

cancelation of this cruise and having an125 % FCC or do I have to cancel before final date payment and only have

a 100 % FCC

[firefly333]

26 minutes ago, cruisefoodie1946 said:

My final payment date is sept 23 for a cruise on dec 23,2020, what happens if I skip final payment waiting for a future

cancelation of this cruise and having an125 % FCC or do I have to cancel before final date payment and only have

a 100 % FCC

If you skip final payment and dont do anything you risk having your cruise cancelled due to non payment and losing the deposit. Chances are if rcl cancels next round wouldnt include your dec 23rd date. 

 

Lift and shift or cancel for fcc.

[Ashland]

 If you skip final payment your cruise is cancelled for non-payment and you get nothing.

Wait and let them cancel the cruise for the 125% FCC.

[LeeW]

Final payment is normally 90 days prior to cruise.  

 

If you cancel before that date, you normally would get all but $100pp as a FCC.  With Cruise with Confidence you get the full amount as an FCC, no penalty.

 

If Royal cancels the cruise before your final payment date, you will probably have the option of a full refund or 125% of the full deposit as a FCC.  Not going to happen by tomorrow.

 

If you skip final payment you will probably lose your entire deposit unless you make some arrangement with them to delay the payment.  Some people have been able to do this because they were due an FCC on a previously cancelled cruise, but don't count on it.  And maybe they will give the deposit back if Royal eventually cancels.  

 

If you pay your final payment and Royal cancels, you will likely be offered either full refund or 125% as an FCC.  So far any advance onboard purchases (drinks, excursions, ...) have gotten the same deal.

 

 

As Ken mentioned, if you want to cancel now you can either Lift and Shift now if an appropriate cruise is available and be price protected for a similar cabin, or swap to any cruise and your entire deposit will transfer.  Either way you won't get any cash back.

 

Or you can pay your final payment and either have Royal cancel (the only way you can get your money back), or use the FCC (plus 25%) for a future cruise. Or take the cruise if it goes.  Even if it goes, Cruise with Confidence will allow you to cancel late if you want to and apply the full amount to another cruise.

 

Personally I would just make the payment.  You will have a tough time changing cruises between now and Monday.  If you were planning on cancelling it would have been much easier not waiting until a holiday weekend.  After you pay final you can still change the cruise date but it will tie up your cash until Royal decides to cancel your cruise.  We've already had a Christmas cruise cancelled (another cruise line) but someone has reported here that a bartender has been recalled for early November so maybe Royal will have some sailings by then.

[pcur]

2 hours ago, LeeW said:

Or you can pay your final payment and either have Royal cancel (the only way you can get your money back), or use the FCC (plus 25%) for a future cruise. Or take the cruise if it goes.  Even if it goes, Cruise with Confidence will allow you to cancel late if you want to and apply the full amount to another cruise.

 

I did this early 10 days ago with a Princess cruise.  They are currently giving 200% FCC if they cancel a cruise.  Even if it goes back down to 125% it going to be good for full payment on another cruise, and I have the cruise already picked out!  Going on the cruise is first choice, but I'm ready if it gets cancelled.

 

I left the port taxes for final payment date, since those get refunded in cash anyway.

[firefly333]

8 minutes ago, pcur said:

 

I did this early 10 days ago with a Princess cruise.  They are currently giving 200% FCC if they cancel a cruise.  Even if it goes back down to 125% it going to be good for full payment on another cruise, and I have the cruise already picked out!  Going on the cruise is first choice, but I'm ready if it gets cancelled.

 

I left the port taxes for final payment date, since those get refunded in cash anyway.

Wow 200% is great. Didnt know it was that high.

[Ourusualbeach]

4 hours ago, pcur said:

 

I did this early 10 days ago with a Princess cruise.  They are currently giving 200% FCC if they cancel a cruise.  Even if it goes back down to 125% it going to be good for full payment on another cruise, and I have the cruise already picked out!  Going on the cruise is first choice, but I'm ready if it gets cancelled.

 

I left the port taxes for final payment date, since those get refunded in cash anyway.

I thought that it was only 200% for the first couple cruises way back when this first started.  I had clients on  May sailing who only received 125%

 

Here’s the latest cancellation from Princess and it’s still only 125%

 

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[BettyCruiser]

After initial cancellations I don't think Princess has offered more than 125%

 

[jamon]

I'm confused....does rccl still have a refundable fare that you can cancel before the 90 days and get all my money back? I did a mock booking and it did not offer me the refundable fare, unless I somehow missed it. thanks...

[molly361]

13 minutes ago, jamon said:

I'm confused....does rccl still have a refundable fare that you can cancel before the 90 days and get all my money back? I did a mock booking and it did not offer me the refundable fare, unless I somehow missed it. thanks...

You have to go all the way thru the booking process and after entering all guest info  on the screen where you pick whether you want insurance it will show the added amount for refundable.  Unless booking a suite or a guarantee cabin, they are only non refundable

[pcur]

17 hours ago, BettyCruiser said:

After initial cancellations I don't think Princess has offered more than 125%

 

 

17 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I thought that it was only 200% for the first couple cruises way back when this first started.  I had clients on  May sailing who only received 125%

 

Here’s the latest cancellation from Princess and it’s still only 125%

 

 

 

What I'm referring to is the Double Your Deposit policy they had in effect with their 7/22/20 announcement:

Guests who have not paid in full, have the option to stick with us by accepting this special Double your Deposit Future Cruise Credit offer: 

 Transfer the money deposited for your vacation as a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) and Princess will provide a matching bonus FCC for the same amount up to the base cruise fare amount of the current cruise (minimum $100 per person*) 

(*minimum varies by FCC currency: $100USD, $100CAD, $100AUD, £100GBP, €100EUR, ¥10,000) 

 

Yes, they have been flip-flopping around on FCC's, and I'm prepared for anything from 100% - 200% FCC.  There was a discussion on another thread about some of the recent Princess cancellations were still paying 200%.  I have alternative cruises chosen depending on the amount of our FCC.  I have not made final payment, and deliberately left the port taxes unpaid for now.

 

 

[NancyIL]

On 9/5/2020 at 6:44 PM, klb1978 said:

I booked a cruise for December 2020 in February.  I knew I had a non refundable deposit but was under the impression I could still cancel but loose $100 pp so basically cancel and get $450 of my $750 deposit back.  I called today to cancel and they say $750 in future cruise credit or lift and shift.  Is that accurate?  I’m so confused and now I need to make a decision as final is due on Monday 😩

What did you decide to do?