WOW - What a disappointment!

[BehrHunter]

I plan on booking a Jan 24th Sailing out of LA to Mexico on Mariner. Starting price for Balcony stateroom has listed at $649 for the past couple of weeks. I log on to RCCL today and I notice the WOW sale with reduced deposit (Not a big deal) and $100 per stateroom for 7 day cruise. I figure I might as well go ahead and book it since I have been dragging my feet. I check the price and it has gone up to $699 PP.

 

Yeah I know $649 is a cheap price to pay for balcony but cmon, thats just creative advertising. Not a sale.

[amybear912]

In my experience, they always bump up the prices a bit for the WOW sale... The "selling point" that matters is the half deposit... my sister is taking advantage of the "Sale" to book...

 

I also think that $699 for a balcony on Mariner is pretty darned reasonable too!!

[UTCJCB]

I plan on booking a Jan 24th Sailing out of LA to Mexico on Mariner. Starting price for Balcony stateroom has listed at $649 for the past couple of weeks. I log on to RCCL today and I notice the WOW sale with reduced deposit (Not a big deal) and $100 per stateroom for 7 day cruise. I figure I might as well go ahead and book it since I have been dragging my feet. I check the price and it has gone up to $699 PP.

 

Yeah I know $649 is a cheap price to pay for balcony but cmon, thats just creative advertising. Not a sale.

 

That's just the way of business. I noticed quite a few prices have gone up from their previous lows. The company has to make up for lost revenues on "free OBC" one way or another...nothing in life is truly "free":):rolleyes:

[crusinmama06]

$699 for a balcony, 7 nights on a Voyager class ship, I would call that a blessing. ;)

 

The balconies on Explorer are starting at $1,099 for a 5 day here. :( I would LOVE to pay $699.

 

However, I do see your point, the prices always seem to rise before the WOW sale.

[cruisenfever]

I plan on booking a Jan 24th Sailing out of LA to Mexico on Mariner. Starting price for Balcony stateroom has listed at $649 for the past couple of weeks. I log on to RCCL today and I notice the WOW sale with reduced deposit (Not a big deal) and $100 per stateroom for 7 day cruise. I figure I might as well go ahead and book it since I have been dragging my feet. I check the price and it has gone up to $699 PP.

 

Yeah I know $649 is a cheap price to pay for balcony but cmon, thats just creative advertising. Not a sale.

A difference of $50pp or your $100 OBC!!:D

[nutzo]

I plan on booking a Jan 24th Sailing out of LA to Mexico on Mariner. Starting price for Balcony stateroom has listed at $649 for the past couple of weeks. I log on to RCCL today and I notice the WOW sale with reduced deposit (Not a big deal) and $100 per stateroom for 7 day cruise. I figure I might as well go ahead and book it since I have been dragging my feet. I check the price and it has gone up to $699 PP.

 

Yeah I know $649 is a cheap price to pay for balcony but cmon, thats just creative advertising. Not a sale.

 

 

So, the price went up $50 per person, with a $100 per stateroom ($50 per person) credit? Sounds like a wash to me.... I'd wait and see if they drop the price after the sale.

 

Technically it’s legal to do this, even in California, but I still consider it a deceptive and underhanded way to do business. I tend to avoid stores that I find doing this, since I can never trust if it really is a "sale". :(

 

I booked my cruise during the last WOW sale back in May. The price was the same during the sale, as it was the month before and after. The sale just added a $200 OBC, although I would have been happier with a $200 discount. :)

[Puffinater]

A difference of $50pp or your $100 OBC!!:D

 

Interesting how the numbers just seem to have worked out. Still the Mariner is the best priced Voayager Class out there. Check out some of the miltary rates for the first quarter of 2010.

[icecreamman]

i would venture to say that the $200 o b c cost them less than $100 in my eyes they are not giving much:)

[Desert Cruizers]

last Oct just before our Hawaii Cruise on the Radiance, they came out with this Senior/Military Discount promo, well when I figured it out with all fees, it was actually $200 more then what we paid at the time booking opened up 17 months earlier.

[LadyRose]

Can you still get the price breaks if you book during the WOW sale?

 

If so, book it and hope it comes back down ^_^

[kooljamming]

Interesting how the numbers just seem to have worked out. Still the Mariner is the best priced Voayager Class out there. Check out some of the miltary rates for the first quarter of 2010.

 

We got the hump balcony for the President's week sailing for $529 pp with $100 OBC, using military discount. I am burning valuable summer vacation time but I couldn't resist.

[steponboard]

A difference of $50pp or your $100 OBC!!:D

For two people the fare goes up $100 and the OBC is $100 per cabin, come one that's no sale.

[Papa T]

We got the hump balcony for the President's week sailing for $529 pp with $100 OBC, using military discount. I am burning valuable summer vacation time but I couldn't resist.

 

Interesting . . . there is another thread currently going on which many people are complaining about the quality of the food on RCCL ships. At $529 for 7 days are the pax passing the hat to pay for gas???

[John Henry on CC]

For two people the fare goes up $100 and the OBC is $100 per cabin, come one that's no sale.

It is NOT a "sale" as in "discounted prices."

 

All they promise you in the WOW promotion is: reduced deposit & OBC. Not a lowered price, not the lowest price, not any particular price at all.

 

Reduced deposit and OBC.

 

That's it.

[cruzincurt]

With the 1/2 deposit down, figure you save the $250 for later and put it in the bank instead for the 6 months at 1.5% interest; that's a whopping +/-$1.88 you gained holding the money.

 

Now if you are paying 9% on that $250 on your credit card for 6 months then it's costing you +/-$11.25 to put the larger deposit down early.

 

So I guess since most carry balances on their credit cards, it saves you some money. And the OBC is good as long as the cabin rates didn't go up to compensate.

 

Other than that, IHO its a wimper, not a WOW, but anything helps. And it offers nothing to C&A members booking a balcony. Seems to me, they ought to offer reduced down payments to C&A members since they have a pretty good assurance that we will really go on that cruise we booked and not bailout at final payment.

[BehrHunter]

This will be my first RCCL cruise and it just was not a good start to things. I don't feel like I am getting screwed since I have not yet booked but cmon, thats just lousy business practice.

 

Ill still be booking this cruise. As some have mentioned, $649 is an awesome price. But it makes you stop and think what other stunts they will try to pull.

[WeLuvVacation]

You can book now at the $ 50 higher price with the $ 50 OBC per person ( a push) and if the price comes down you can call up and they will drop the price. And now you have a win!

 

Correct?

[John Henry on CC]

This will be my first RCCL cruise and it just was not a good start to things. I don't feel like I am getting screwed since I have not yet booked but cmon, thats just lousy business practice.

 

Ill still be booking this cruise. As some have mentioned, $649 is an awesome price. But it makes you stop and think what other stunts they will try to pull.

 

The WOW promotion is not on any particular cruise - it's on all cruises/on any cruise that you choose to book tomorrow from their entire inventory.

 

So, as this poster wrote:

 

You can book now at the $ 50 higher price with the $ 50 OBC per person ( a push) and if the price comes down you can call up and they will drop the price. And now you have a win!

 

Correct?

 

if the price decreases for your cruise, as long as it is not a Tuesday Special Sales Event, you just call up and get the lower price.

 

You are getting the best of both worlds.

[BehrHunter]

The WOW promotion is not on any particular cruise - it's on all cruises/on any cruise that you choose to book tomorrow from their entire inventory.

 

So, as this poster wrote:

 

 

 

if the price decreases for your cruise, as long as it is not a Tuesday Special Sales Event, you just call up and get the lower price.

 

You are getting the best of both worlds.

 

Im new to RCCL, so let me get this straight. Are you saying if I book at $699 and get a $100 OBC then if the price drops back down to $649 they will allow me to rebook at the lower price and keep the prevous $100 OBC?

[cruiserbryce]

the "sale" has drawn some criticism here on the boards over the past week or two

[John Henry on CC]

Im new to RCCL, so let me get this straight. Are you saying if I book at $699 and get a $100 OBC then if the price drops back down to $649 they will allow me to rebook at the lower price and keep the prevous $100 OBC?

It's not even a re-booking! They just GIVE you the lower price!

[rummenroman]

Im new to RCCL, so let me get this straight. Are you saying if I book at $699 and get a $100 OBC then if the price drops back down to $649 they will allow me to rebook at the lower price and keep the prevous $100 OBC?

 

For the most part YES!!! There is one exception, that being "new booking only" price. If you see the price drop and you don't see anything that says "new booking only" then you can call RCCL and request the new price. Some times you will run into a situation where you cannot find the "new booking only" tag, but you will not be allowed to get the reduced price. The age old rule is if you don't like the first answer, then call back and try again, sometimes you will get a different answer you like better with a different person you talk to. As long as you keep your original booking number you will get the best of both worlds.

[Ladylouwho]

This will be my first RCCL cruise and it just was not a good start to things. I don't feel like I am getting screwed since I have not yet booked but cmon, thats just lousy business practice.

 

Ill still be booking this cruise. As some have mentioned, $649 is an awesome price. But it makes you stop and think what other stunts they will try to pull.

 

Yes it does make one think. For a newbie to Royal Caribbean you certainly have them pegged. The President of RCI gets away with calling cutbacks to the RCI Crown and Anchor Loyalty Program "New and Enhanced Improvements". He even puts it in writing.

 

And yes, I agree with you, that is lousy business practice.

 

 

Colleen

[jst4fun715]

Im new to RCCL, so let me get this straight. Are you saying if I book at $699 and get a $100 OBC then if the price drops back down to $649 they will allow me to rebook at the lower price and keep the prevous $100 OBC?

 

 

You do not cancel and rebook. Just call RCI and they would give you the lower price as long as it is not a sale for new bookings only.

[BehrHunter]

Thanks for all the responses.