Cancel 2nd passenger vs. no-show?

[schlimazel_traveler]

One of my (adult) daughters isn't able to make our cruise next month. She's booked into a cabin with her sister, who will be able to join us. What are the pros and cons of cancelling one passenger in their cabin vs. her just not showing up? 

 

Would we get port charges back either way?

 

We didn't pre-pay gratuities--I'm hoping we pay for only one passenger now?

 

Is there a difference in terms of the C&A points that my daughter will earn for sailing alone if her sister cancels vs. if her sister no-shows?

 

Thanks for your experience and knowledge!

[Ashland]

Haven't you already made final payment ?

 

You will get back port fees and tax as a credit back to the credit card used to make final payment.

[schlimazel_traveler]

Yes, we have, and I don't expect any refund of the fare. So does it make any difference to cancel daughter #2 and have daughter #1 officially "solo"?

Or at this point, just show up with daughter #1 and let the cruise line sort it out?

Edited July 24, 2023 by schlimazel_traveler

[ReneeFLL]

4 minutes ago, schlimazel_traveler said:

Yes, we have, and I don't expect any refund of the fare. So does it make any difference to cancel daughter #2 and have daughter #1 officially "solo"?

Or at this point, just show up with daughter #1 and let the cruise line sort it out?

Just show up and let Royal figure it out. You can tell them if you want, but since it’s after final payment it won’t make any difference.

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, schlimazel_traveler said:

Is there a difference in terms of the C&A points that my daughter will earn for sailing alone if her sister cancels vs. if her sister no-shows?

Daughter sailing would get 1 point per day (+1 if booked a junior suite or higher) if sister no shows. 

 

If sister cancels, daughter would get an extra point per day for solo.  However, I don't recall whether the cancellation will result in a reprice of the cabin at the current solo rate.

[ckruetze]

If you can't get any reasonable amount of money back, just tell your daughter that is joining you she can bring a girlfriend. And change the name on the reservation.

 

Why waste the already paid money if you can change the person and take somebody else?

[little britain]

5 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Daughter sailing would get 1 point per day (+1 if booked a junior suite or higher) if sister no shows. 

 

If sister cancels, daughter would get an extra point per day for solo.  However, I don't recall whether the cancellation will result in a reprice of the cabin at the current solo rate.

I thought they had stopped giving the extra point for no-shows ? Unfortunately. 

[molly361]

5 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Daughter sailing would get 1 point per day (+1 if booked a junior suite or higher) if sister no shows. 

 

If sister cancels, daughter would get an extra point per day for solo.  However, I don't recall whether the cancellation will result in a reprice of the cabin at the current solo rate.

I think that the second person now has to be canceled before final payment to get double points 

[twangster]

8 minutes ago, little britain said:

I thought they had stopped giving the extra point for no-shows ? Unfortunately. 

 

6 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I think that the second person now has to be canceled before final payment to get double points 

 

The way I read the post if she officially cancels then daughter becomes a proper solo who would get an extra point but with the risk that the cruise is repriced at prevailing rates for solo.  

[little britain]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

 

 

The way I read the post if she officially cancels then daughter becomes a proper solo who would get an extra point but with the risk that the cruise is repriced at prevailing rates for solo.  

I thought the cancelling of pax2 to get double points has to be done before final payment.

 

Can they reprice after final payment 😱😳.. wouldn’t want to risk it!! 

[twangster]

1 minute ago, little britain said:

I thought the cancelling of pax2 to get double points has to be done before final payment.

 

Can they reprice after final payment 😱😳.. wouldn’t want to risk it!! 

 

I book cruises after final as a solo at prevailing rates.  It all depends on how that cruise is selling.  Royal has shifted DP340 to become available mid-August now which is loosely the time frame OP is talking (next month).  Royal did that since the summer peak is winding down in August.  

 

People upgrade cabins since no price drops are allowed after final so changes can be made after final at prevailing rates.  People do it all the time when better cabins are more affordable.

 

All OP has to do is call and ask "what if?" to get the answer.  "Don't make any changes but what if one guest can't sail?"

 

 

[lovesthebeach2]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

I book cruises after final as a solo at prevailing rates.  It all depends on how that cruise is selling.  Royal has shifted DP340 to become available mid-August now which is loosely the time frame OP is talking (next month).  Royal did that since the summer peak is winding down in August.  

 

People upgrade cabins since no price drops are allowed after final so changes can be made after final at prevailing rates.  People do it all the time when better cabins are more affordable.

 

All OP has to do is call and ask "what if?" to get the answer.  "Don't make any changes but what if one guest can't sail?"

 

 

This totally confuses me. The DP340 part and upgrading cabins after final.  I didn’t understand either. 

[ace1zoe2]

[schlimazel_traveler]

Thanks, that's the information I needed!

 

[soremekun]

On Friday, I emailed my TA to cancel my wife because she will not be going on the upcoming cruise.  The cruise is paid off, it's now after final payment, and the fares have increased.

 

My TA informed me I'll be receiving a refund of taxes and port fees and the fare will not be repriced.

 

So, I believe I will be getting double points for this sailing.

[Stick93]

6 hours ago, twangster said:

 

 

The way I read the post if she officially cancels then daughter becomes a proper solo who would get an extra point but with the risk that the cruise is repriced at prevailing rates for solo.  

I did this last year - cancelled my daughter 3 days before and there was no reprice - you have paid for the room and they still get all the money from the no show. Why a reprice? 

[ace1zoe2]

2 hours ago, soremekun said:

On Friday, I emailed my TA to cancel my wife because she will not be going on the upcoming cruise.  The cruise is paid off, it's now after final payment, and the fares have increased.

 

My TA informed me I'll be receiving a refund of taxes and port fees and the fare will not be repriced.

 

So, I believe I will be getting double points for this sailing.

According to the policy I posted above, you will not get double points. It must have originally been booked as a solo cruise. Our friend had the exact same thing happen and did not get double points. She went to C&A, customer service, emails, etc. ... they all pointed her to this policy which changed sometime last year. YMMV and you might get lucky but I wouldn't count on getting double points.

[ReneeFLL]

13 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Daughter sailing would get 1 point per day (+1 if booked a junior suite or higher) if sister no shows. 

 

If sister cancels, daughter would get an extra point per day for solo.  However, I don't recall whether the cancellation will result in a reprice of the cabin at the current solo rate.

That’s not true anymore. If it was booked for 2 people and one is a no show, the person will only get 1 point per day. If the cabin was booked for a single person, then they would get 2 points per day.

[Another_Critic]

2 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

That’s not true anymore. If it was booked for 2 people and one is a no show, the person will only get 1 point per day. 

And that is what I said.

 

"Daughter sailing would get 1 point per day (+1 if booked a junior suite or higher) if sister no shows."

 

Apparently I was incorrect regarding the extra point if the sister cancels.

 

 

[ReneeFLL]

2 hours ago, soremekun said:

On Friday, I emailed my TA to cancel my wife because she will not be going on the upcoming cruise.  The cruise is paid off, it's now after final payment, and the fares have increased.

 

My TA informed me I'll be receiving a refund of taxes and port fees and the fare will not be repriced.

 

So, I believe I will be getting double points for this sailing.

To get double points you would have had to make the booking as a solo cruiser. Canceling her doesn’t technically make you a solo cruiser when it comes to the points. It sucks because you are paying for 2 people when only one of them sails. Giving the extra point wouldn’t kill Royal, but it is what it is.

Edited July 24, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[soremekun]

3 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

To get double points you would have had to make the booking as a solo cruiser. Canceling her doesn’t technically make you a solo cruiser when it comes to the points. It sucks because you are paying for 2 people when only one of them sails. Giving the extra point wouldn’t kill Royal, but it is what it is.

The answer to the FAQ says "a paid single guest supplement to cruise fare".  Does that appear as a line item on the invoice?

[Another_Critic]

24 minutes ago, soremekun said:

The answer to the FAQ says "a paid single guest supplement to cruise fare".  Does that appear as a line item on the invoice?

This is how it appears when booking as solo.

 

This is for a non-group rate booking.

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Another_Critic

[soremekun]

1 minute ago, Another_Critic said:

This is how it appears when booking as solo.

 

Ah thanks.  So they know.......

[MaddyandMax]

We just had this happen on our Oasis cruise.  Niece and her boyfriend broke up before the cruise.  We had him as a no show.  We paid a ridiculously low group rate fare ($1,032 for 2) so we did not want to take the chance of being repriced.  The port taxes were refunded to her credit about a week after the cruise.  I'd heard reports of getting the port taxes as a room credit but that did not happen to us on our cruise (June 30-July7).

 

 

[sailor05]

Wouldn't hurt to call and throw a hypothetical at them to see what they say.