Royal Caribbean Future Cruise Credits And Cruise With Confidence Policy
The cruise industry has been going through a lot of changes with the suspension of cruises initially only being for 30 days, and now lasting several months. The policy with cancellations regarding refunds and future cruise credit with Royal Caribbean depends on when your sailing was cancelled.
Once Royal Caribbean resumes cruise operations on June 12th, there will be a 4 point process which is currently being worked on. They are collaborating with government health authorities, the Cruise Lines International Association , and a team of medical experts to develop a future boarding screening program and updated health protocols.
Here are the answer to some frequently asked questions regarding Royal Caribbean future cruise credits.
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How much of a future cruise credit am I getting?
To account for the inconvenience the cancelled cruises have caused, travelers are eligible for a 125% Future Cruise Credit . The 125% Onboard Cruise Credit offer window varies depending on when your sailing was suspended. Taxes and fees, as well as any pre-purchased amenities or onboard packages will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancellation date.
The new Onboard Cruise Credit is based on the amount you paid, excluding any previously applied Onboard Cruise Credit, and will be based on a per person value.
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Still Eligible For Royal Caribbean Future Cruise Credit
Hi this is my latest post covid travel voucher question, but maybe somebody can help me out.
In 2021 I booked a cruise, and because of cancelation , I received a Future cruise credit from Royal Caribbean.
I made a new booking for 2022. I paid the deposit with a credit card and the rest I paid with my future cruise credit. In the end, the remaining balance to be paid was only 180 euro.
Due to circumstances, I had to cancel again. I was informed that If I cancel I will lose the non-refundable amount. I understand. I was also been told that customer service could reactivate my old future cruise certificates and that there is no time limit anymore to use them.
After 30 days I receive an email:
< < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < <
Dear guest
I hope this email finds you well
Unfortunately we cannot re-issue your certificate as this booking was created under a non-refundable deposit and the reservation was cancelled with 100% of penalty.
Regards.
< < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < <
Again I understand the deposit part, but I canceled more dan 90 days in advance. So RCCL need to re-activate the cruise credits right?
How Do I Use A Future Cruise Credit
Once you have a Future Cruise Credit, you can apply it towards a cruise reservation made directly with the cruise line or with a travel agent.
Think of the FCC like a promo code, which offsets the cost of the cruise.
A FCC can also only be used towards the base cruise fare, so that means it cannot be applied to the deposit, taxes, fees or add-ons .
If your future cruise credit exceeds the cost of the cruise, a new future cruise credit will be issued in the amount of the leftover balance.
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Royal Caribbean Will Pay Travel Agent Commissions On Future Cruise Credits
Royals Symphony of the Seas. Photo: Royal Caribbean.
Starting Apr. 1, Royal Caribbean International will start paying travel agent commissions on future cruise credits.
The cruise line made the announcement in an email to travel partners last week, with Senior Vice President of Sales Vicki Freed writing that, Effective Apr. 1, 2018 and beyond, should your clients redeem a Future Cruise Certificate, you will receive the full value of that bookings commission.
Royal said that it originally began protecting commissions on those credits because of the turmoil brought on by hurricane season last fall. Royal, and other lines, tend to distribute future cruise credits if something goes wrong on a sailing, like delays or cancellations due to weather.
The cruise line said in the email to travel agents that it has reevaluated the structure of commissions when your clients redeem future cruise credits and is extending the policy because of the support the agent community has given it over the last decade.
For the last ten years, you have supported Royal Caribbean and voted us Best Sales and Service in the cruise industry. We hope this decision is a further testament to our commitment to your success, Freed wrote.
What Is A Future Cruise Credit
A future cruise credit is a voucher good for a future cruise. Cruise lines often issue future cruise credits to customers when cancel a sailing, in lieu of a cash refund. In the past few years, lines have issued millions of future cruise credits to customers on sailings canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But they also issue future cruise credits when they cancel sailings for other reasons, such as delays with a new ship’s inaugural sailing. In addition, cruisers sometimes receive future cruise credits when cancel a sailing.
Future cruise credits typically have a specific dollar value assigned to them, usually based on the amount the passenger paid for the canceled cruise. Often the dollar value is 100% of the amount the passenger paid. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, some lines have offered passengers future cruise credits with a dollar amount of 125%, 150% or even 200% of the amount the passenger paid for a canceled cruise.
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Tips On How To Navigate A Cancellation
1. Watch for email updates from the cruise line with which you are booked.
2. Review your options carefully and consider external factors before making a decision. A future cruise credit above the amount you paid may be enticing, but if you have the option to get a refund, that may make more sense for flexibility.
3. Wait to see if the cruise line is going to cancel your cruise or extend their sailing suspension before making any moves. Royal Caribbeans cancellation policy through Sept. 1 allows guests to cancel for a future cruise credit up to 48 hours before setting sail. If you cancel early and then the cruise line later cancels that sailing, it may negate the option for a full refund. Cruise lines have varying policies check on your cruise lines website, and read the fine print to learn more.
4. If you have worked with a travel advisor on booking your cruise, reach out if you have questions, or reach out to the cruise line directly.
5. When you are cancelling, check in on refunds to any other prepaid expenses such as beverage packages or excursions.
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Where To Spend Your Royal Caribbean Onboard Credit
The sky’s the limit when it comes to spending your onboard credits on your voyage. Since cash and credit cards are not accepted as a form of payment on board your Royal Caribbean cruise for individual transactons your SeaPass card is your only means of purchasing anything onboard that’s not included in your cruise fare. This is, naturally, tied to your credit card, or a cash deposit left with the Reception Desk at embarkation.
One savvy, if not terribly exciting way to use your onboard credit is to spend it on gratuities. Everyone who sails on a Royal Caribbean cruise has to pay gratuities, and while you do have the option of pre-paying them begore you sail, it’s wise to use your onboard credit on this unavoidable expense.
If you’d rather spend your onboard credits on yourself, there are plenty of options for that, too. One popular alternative is to ‘drink your OBC.’ As with most major cruise lines that are not all-inclusive, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are not included in your cruise fare. Royal Caribbean offers drinks packages as well as the option to purchase drinks as-you-go. In both cases, you can use your OBC to quench your wet your whistle.
And just like with drinks, your OBC is good for either dining a la carte or for purchasing a dining package, offering you plenty of food for thought when deciding what to do with your onboard credit.
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What Happens If You Dont Take Future Cruise Credit Or Refund
Most cruise lines are only offering the onboard credit for a limited time, some will automatically give you the credit when this time is up and some will automatically give you cash when this ends. Royal Caribbean will refund you in cash automatically.
I personally dont really like the idea of waiting and then getting a refund but you could do this if youre unsure. Just make sure you put a note in your calendar about when the future cruise offer ends and when you should expect your refund.
What Can I Use A Future Cruise Credit For
Future cruise credits have become widely available due to the current voluntary cruise shutdown that Royal Caribbean is engaged in, which means while cruises are being cancelled due to the global health crisis, Royal Caribbean is offering guests future cruise credits.
Royal Caribbean allows guests to use their future cruise credits to pay their cruise fare, including the deposit.
It cannot be used towards add-on purchases, like drink packages, shore excursions, port fees or taxes.
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You Might Get A Bonus Or At Least Avoid Penalties
During the pandemic shutdown, most travelers who opted for a Future Cruise Credit rather than a refund did so because the cruise line offered an incentive for choosing the FCC. From a bonus 125 percent value or hundreds of dollars in Onboard Credit, the cruise lines made FCCs a very appealing option, and if theres one thing cruisers love, its a good deal.
Some passengers who voluntarily chose to cancel their cruise under the various Cruise with Confidence policies offered by most of the major cruise lines also received a FCC. While these travelers didnt get any extra value tacked onto their FCC, they also didnt lose money. Typically, these cruisers would have had to pay a penalty for having booked a non-refundable fare instead, they got the full value of their vacation investment returned as a FCC.
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Royal Caribbean Drops Future Cruise Credit Expiration Dates
Royal Caribbean International has announced that all current and future Future Cruise Credits no longer have an expiration date.
In an email to guests with Future Cruise Credits on their account, the lines Assistant Vice President of Guest Experience Aurora Yera-Rodriguez said to provide you with additional flexibility to sail with us, we have extended your Future Cruise Credit . Your FCC will remain active and will never expire.
The email went on to say that the system will still show an expiration date, and it will be moving that date to one far in the future. This is just because the way the system is currently designed, Future Cruise Credits have to show an expiration date. But despite the far future date, they truly no longer will expire and it is just a system placeholder.
Future Cruise Credits that are over 100 percent of the cruise fare paid and that were applied to guests accounts due to the industry-wide cruise suspension due to the pandemic are included, but only for the original fare paid. For example, those who received a 125 percent Future Cruise Credit because their sailing was canceled due to the shutdown will be able to use 100 percent of it without an expiration. But the extra 25 percent will maintain its current expiration date.
As the pandemic began in early 2020 and cruise lines shut down across the globe, Future Cruise Credits became an easy and economically beneficial way for the cruise lines to refund guests on voyages that had to be canceled.
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How Does Onboard Credit Work
On a Royal Caribbean cruise, your cashless onboard expenses account is also known as your SeaPass account. When you make purchases on the ship, these will be charged to your account. At the end of youse cruise, you can settle your account with cash, by credit or debit card or with onboard credit.
When you receive onboard credit, this is credited to your SeaPass account. It will offset any purchases that you make on the ship.
All About Cruise Future Cruise Credits
If your cruise gets cancelled, there’s a good change you may end up with a future cruise credit.
A future cruise credit is a credit offered to cruise guests in lieu of a refund. This provides the guest with a monetary value that can be applied to a future sailing, and it has its own set of rules and important things to know.
How you can use your future cruise credit and redemption rules can sometimes be a bit confusing.
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Computer Updates To Still Show Expiration
In order to protect the original FCC amounts in the existing computer system, guests have also been notified via a follow-up email that there will be an expiration date still entered into the computer.
Our systems still require an expiration date on file, so in the next few days well update our records to reflect an expiration date far in the future rest assured these credits do not expire,the email read.No action is needed on your part, well take care of everything for you!
Guests should be aware of this so they fully understand how and when to use their Future Cruise Credits, and not be startled to see an expiration date still associated with the credits.
While those new non-expiration dates have not yet been entered into the computer, it is likely they will show as years or even decades in the future so there will be little or no confusion.
When Do I Need To Use My Future Cruise Credit By Before It Expires
In short, it depends on the cruise line.
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises changed their FCC policy so that their credits will never expire.
When you get your FCC email, look for an expiration date to understand when you must use it by. Keep in mind there could be a redeem by date as well as an expiration date.
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Can I Change My Mind And Get A Cash Refund From My Future Cruise Credit
In almost all cases, the answer is no.
Future Cruise Credits are use them or lose them, and once you opt for a FCC, it cannot be refunded for cash.
Some cruise lines have been flexible with this policy, but your mileage may vary. It certainly doesnt hurt to ask, especially if you explain you dont care for the current health protocols and have no inclination to sail again. This may or may not work.
Update To Future Cruise Credit Expiration Dates
Today Royal Caribbean is sharing some good news for guests with Future Cruise Credits theyre needing to use an update that will grant additional flexibility when redeeming pending Future Cruise Credits .
For select FCC types, Royal Caribbean will be removing the expiration date, expanding your travel options by opening a broader window to sail within.Effective June 1st, 2022, all unredeemed Future Cruise Credits will be treated as follows:
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Cruise with Confidence FCCs will no longer expire. Though their systems will continue to require a noted expiration date, they will automatically extend this date to one in the far future ensuring that these FCCs will never terminate.
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Global Sailing Suspension FCCs will also offer increased flexibility. The portion of the FCC value that represents 100% of the cruise fare paid on the original reservation will no longer expire. The incremental 25% bonus value, however, will maintain the current expiration date noted on the Future Cruise Credit and will remain active until this point. For this you will need to redeem this portion of the FCC before the expiration date or such funds will become inactive and can no longer be used towards a future sailing.
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All Other FCC Types remain unchanged and will continue to enforce the expiration date noted on the Future Cruise Credit.
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Do I Need To Wait For My Future Cruise Credit To Arrive Before Starting The Rebooking Process
No, once you know you’re about to get a future cruise credit for a canceled cruise, you can go ahead and reserve your next cruise immediately. If you havent been issued your FCC yet, it is possible to pay the deposit and apply the FCC to the balance. In some instances, your travel agent can even hold your reservation while waiting for the cruise line to apply your FCC.
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What If I Dont Want A Future Cruise Credit
If the FCC has already been issued, you cannot revert back to a cash refund. In the future, if your cruise needs to be canceled, you can try requesting a refund, which the cruise lines consider on a case-by-case basis. Please be aware of deadlines in order to request a refund.
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