No more price drops for RC?

[FloridaPalms]

And, if you combare the Price Protection Program announced last September (see cruisenfever's post) with the new Price Protection Programs announcement to TAs (see Madhouse24's post and crusinmama06's post) and as it now appears on RCCL's website, THERE WILL BE NO PRICE DROPS ON ANY CRUISES BOOKED AFTER MAY 17TH UNLESS YOU FIND ONE WITHIN 48 HOURS. IT STATES NOTHING ABOUT HONORING PRICE DROPS BEFORE FINAL PAYMENT.

 

Maybe this is NOT what the leaders of the nation of WHY NOT intend, but, for now, this is what is written. And it is enough to turn the WOW sale into a NOT NOW sale.

 

LOL!

 

I was thinking about booking something during the WOW sale but if the price decreases before final payment and I have to cancel and rebook there goes the OBC. I am fine with no credit after the final payment, I do have a problem with the time between deposit and final payment.

 

BTW..how do you get a member's name to be associated with the quote?

 

Since you quoted my post in your reply, I assume you mean how did I get the member's name to be hyperlinked to their post rather than including those long posts in my reply. The top right corner of each post is numbered and contains a hyperlink which I right clicked and copied. Then I typed & highlighted the member's name and clicked insert link (it's the little globe with link under the smiley) and right clicked & pasted the link. Helps to have notepad open.

 

And I have a problem between the time of deposit and final payment too - not just the OBC but possibility of being locked out of any senior or resident discounts that may be offered during that time.

 

~ Judy

[Aquahound]

I have to wonder how much we have shot ourselves in the foot and are really the ones to blame for this. By posting on this very board every time we got a price reduction (how many posts have you seen with titles like "Just Got a Price Drop!") what probably started out as a policy to address situations that came up less frequently, became too much.

 

Ever since RCI realized they had extremely high numbers of high-level (D, D+) repeat passengers, and they scaled back the C&A benefits, I have been saying they are targeting a new crowd. Loyal customers are good, but we all aggressively seek price reductions, and the more we cruise, the less we spend on board (in most cases). I'm sure some people will still think I'm crazy, but it's becoming more and more clear. :(

[marci22]

I have reread the Best Price Guarantee Program information several times. I still cannot figure out if they mean you can get a price drop outside the 48hrs, even if it is 'outside of final payment'. It is very unclear.

 

Seems like the 48hour window is all you have, although if you are outside of final, you can have that obc as a direct refund. I don't interpret it to say that you can still get adjustments anytime before final. You'd have to cancel and rebook. Is that the consensus?

[KITKAT0229]

Well I haven't really booked very far in advance in the past. I normally try to wait until special resident or military pricing has been posted to book.

 

Carnival does at least have a super saver option with price protection, plus they normally have more past guests rates and military rates. I have really only found special resident pricing for any of my sailings with RCI.

 

I will book when I'm conformatable with the price, just as I always have. There's never been a guarantee that the price will go down neways, so you shouldn't book in the first place if you aren't comfortable with the price at booking.

[mtchg]

...and the new policy says you are stuck with the original price; who is stopping you from cancelling (assuming it is before final payment due) and just booking again with another TA...or the same for that matter? Am I missing something?

 

 

Mitch

[mommabean]

If I book the Wow sale today just to get the reduced deposit do I have the option to decline the OBC and use my C&A balcony discount instead?

 

Then if there is a price reduction before final payment and they force me to cancel and rebook I would lose nothing..(other than maybe my preferred cabin)

And of course I would have to put down a full deposit down.

 

The cruise is a year away, I don't want to tie up a full deposit but do want a certain cabin.

 

Thanks

Donna

 

Yes, you can choose whichever option suits you best.

 

Gina

[FloridaPalms]

I have to wonder how much we have shot ourselves in the foot and are really the ones to blame for this. By posting on this very board every time we got a price reduction (how many posts have you seen with titles like "Just Got a Price Drop!") what probably started out as a policy to address situations that came up less frequently, became too much.

 

I suspect that in the past not as many passengers knew to look for price drops, so when one happened, a fraction of the passengers that might be eligible for a drop would call and claim it. Now I would not be surprised if hundreds of people call whenever a drop occurs on a sailing. I saved about $400 on a Bermuda cruise that we took on Enchantment a few weeks ago due to a drop. Imagine how much money was lost on that ship if even 1/3 of the passengers called for a reduction in fare? Well, as a result of this board and others, pretty much everyone knows about the policy and some jump on and brag about how much they saved and how cheap their cruise is.

 

Honestly, how long could this last before the cruise line had to do something? It's a love/hate relationship. We (well most of us anyway) love RCL, but we HATE to pay a thin dime more that we could otherwise. So many of these postings are about how to save a nickel on a cruise by smuggling in your own rum (do you wonder why they are starting to look for rum runners now? Yep, beacuse you told them exactly where to look while bragging on this very board about how much booze you smuggled on board and how much money you saved by doing so).

 

The cruise lines read these boards. 'Secrets' and practices to save $ will not stay that way for long. More examples? The 3% fee in the casino since folks were taking advantage of that as a way to artificially boost RCCL Visa points or get cash without paying ATM fees... Changing the minimum on Blackjack to $6 from $5 on the cheap tables to deal with the match play coupons...

 

I rather dislike the change, heck, it has saved me literally thousands of dollars, but we really can't expect to publicize all the little 'tricks' of the cruising trade, have everyone and their brother start doing it as well, and not expect the companies to adjust their policies accordingly. After all, they are in business to make, not lose, money. And the next time you fly, try to call the airline and have them honor a lower price you found... This really was intended to be the exception rather than the rule (though I agree that the whole 48 hours thing is rubbish... make it 30 days or something similar).

 

Waiting until later to book now...

 

Excellent post. Although you forgot those who fudge about who is in what stateroom in order to snag a senior or resident discount that the true occupants of the second cabin would otherwise not be entitled to - that one really rubs me the wrong way. I always want to shout DON'T RUIN IT FOR THOSE WHO ARE ENTITLED, but never do. So in that respect you are right. Even if we never abused the system, those who silently watched it happen may be equally quilty of shooting "ourselves in the foot" as you say.

And while some will say only a very small percentage of cruisers belong to CC, we do know RCI follows this board and we don't know how many unregistered cruisers are just lurking to discover the dark secrets.

SIGH.... :(

 

~ Judy

[uksimonusa]

If I book the Wow sale today just to get the reduced deposit do I have the option to decline the OBC and use my C&A balcony discount instead?

 

Then if there is a price reduction before final payment and they force me to cancel and rebook I would lose nothing..(other than maybe my preferred cabin)

And of course I would have to put down a full deposit down.

 

The cruise is a year away, I don't want to tie up a full deposit but do want a certain cabin.

 

Thanks

Donna

 

They wont let you do that at booking, if you do you have to pay the full deposit, however, when you have paid more than the full deposit, you can call and have the OBC removed and the discount added, well at least until yesterday you could, but we all know things change!!!

 

In the past, I have waited until final payment, paid the amount due. less the amount of the discount and then called and had the obc removed and the discount applied to give me a zero balance

[Jimbo]

If I book the Wow sale today just to get the reduced deposit do I have the option to decline the OBC and use my C&A balcony discount instead?

 

Then if there is a price reduction before final payment and they force me to cancel and rebook I would lose nothing..(other than maybe my preferred cabin)

And of course I would have to put down a full deposit down.

 

The cruise is a year away, I don't want to tie up a full deposit but do want a certain cabin.

 

Thanks

Donna

 

That is exactly what I did, Don't care about the OBC just wanted the Diamond Discount and the reduced deposit. Worked well for us.

 

I will get the OBC when I transfer the reservation a week before final payment is due from Royal Caribbean to my travel agent who will then give me the OBC.

 

Win, Win situation.

 

Jimbo:)

[mtchg]

Did something like you are thinking of doing just this past March.

 

First we found good air prices from Philadelphia to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

We always leave a 1 day prior to the cruise.

 

So we booked our flight going to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday morning, we were in Ft. Lauderdale by 11am. Our return flight was leaving the following Sunday at 1pm.

 

Since alot of cruiselines sail out Ft.Lauderdale we waited until last minute to book either a 7 day cruise leaving on a Saturday or a Sunday and still make our 1pm flight on Sunday.

 

So we just waited and watched prices up until about 2 weeks prior to the cruise before we booked it.

 

Ended up booking a Balcony GTY on Holland America Eurodam at a great price.

This was a Saturday to Saturday sailing so we just used priceline and got a cheap hotel for Saturday night and flew home on Sunday.

 

Worked out great.

 

 

Jimbo, that is a GREAT idea; frankly I'm ashamed I never thought of it myself. Kudos...

 

Mitch

[cruiseforus]

There has been so much going on here but I think I have it right but still not sure.

 

Am I right in assuming that if I book a cruise and the price drops before final payment then I can get the price drop but if the price drops after final payment then there will be no reduction in the price nor will there be any OBC for the difference?

 

I'm not talking about the WOW sale just asking about booking a cruise any other day.

[marci22]

Excellent post. Although you forgot those who fudge about who is in what stateroom in order to snag a senior or resident discount that the true occupants of the second cabin would otherwise not be entitled to - that one really rubs me the wrong way. I always want to shout DON'T RUIN IT FOR THOSE WHO ARE ENTITLED, but never do. So in that respect you are right. Even if we never abused the system, those who silently watched it happen may be equally quilty of shooting "ourselves in the foot" as you say.

~ Judy

 

It doesn't bother me at all. They have those discounts so that more people get on their huge ships. Maybe those who split the discount-eligible cruisers up wouldn't cruise if they couldn't do it. Once they reach a certain capacity, they don't offer certain discounts. It's not about morality, it's about filling their ships.

[PSCruiser]

I have to wonder how much we have shot ourselves in the foot and are really the ones to blame for this. By posting on this very board every time we got a price reduction (how many posts have you seen with titles like "Just Got a Price Drop!") what probably started out as a policy to address situations that came up less frequently, became too much.

 

I suspect that in the past not as many passengers knew to look for price drops, so when one happened, a fraction of the passengers that might be eligible for a drop would call and claim it. Now I would not be surprised if hundreds of people call whenever a drop occurs on a sailing. I saved about $400 on a Bermuda cruise that we took on Enchantment a few weeks ago due to a drop. Imagine how much money was lost on that ship if even 1/3 of the passengers called for a reduction in fare? Well, as a result of this board and others, pretty much everyone knows about the policy and some jump on and brag about how much they saved and how cheap their cruise is

 

 

This brings up a question that I've often wondered about....and that is what proportion of total cruisers is the serious Cruise Critic crowd? i.e. the people into price drops, stockholder benefits and the rest. I'm guessing it is just a few percent, and it makes me wonder why RC seems to have a knack for changing the rules such that they annoy these high repeat and high revenue customers.

 

BTW, why can't RC hire one person that can write the rules such that they are clear, and not open to endless interpretation????

[bala1130]

Excellent post. Although you forgot those who fudge about who is in what stateroom in order to snag a senior or resident discount that the true occupants of the second cabin would otherwise not be entitled to - that one really rubs me the wrong way.

 

I never understood the reason for a resident discount. Why should someone get a better price just because they are from a certain state? :mad:

[Cliftoncruz]

Sorry, not Clifton Springs, NY. Clifton is a small farming hamlet (more heads of cattle, then people) between Mumford, NY and Chili, NY (pronounced Chi-Lie).

 

Regarding this policy, I asked my TA to contact her rep at RCI about the policy for clarification before I purchase another cruise. I usually purchase a cruise 12 to 18 months out. Additionally, I have two Next Cruise certificates remaining that were purchased in 12/07 prior to the change that limited combining discounts. So before I buy another cruise, I need to know how this policy will affect my bottom line.

[marci22]

I never understood the reason for a resident discount. Why should someone get a better price just because they are from a certain state? :mad:

 

Because they know that certain residents tend to go to certain ports. They are trying to expand their customer base by enticing those from other states. They want to fill their huge ships.

[tropicbird]

...and the new policy says you are stuck with the original price; who is stopping you from cancelling (assuming it is before final payment due) and just booking again with another TA...or the same for that matter? Am I missing something?

 

 

Mitch

 

Likely an option, but with a couple of of caveats.

 

1- You may lose your cabin in the interim. If you want a particular cabin, might be a problem for you.

 

2- It would be easy for the line to program holds into their system for a rebook on the same cruise. You may have to a) wait a certain number of days before rebooking (and the price might go up, 'your' cabin be sold, or your preferred category sell out)... or b) block the new reservation entirely and you would have to choose a different sailing.

 

The great thing about the past policy was that you did not have to make any changes to your reservation, the price simply came down.

[PH8]

Excellent post. Although you forgot those who fudge about who is in what stateroom in order to snag a senior or resident discount that the true occupants of the second cabin would otherwise not be entitled to - that one really rubs me the wrong way. I always want to shout DON'T RUIN IT FOR THOSE WHO ARE ENTITLED, but never do. So in that respect you are right. Even if we never abused the system, those who silently watched it happen may be equally quilty of shooting "ourselves in the foot" as you say.

.. :(

 

~ Judy

Thing is RCCL reps SUGGEST it........they did for me once......told me to book FIL/husband in one........MIL/Me in another so we all could get the diamond discount..........I didnt do it for a few reasons...but my point is, they encourage that......:rolleyes:

[printingchick]

...and the new policy says you are stuck with the original price; who is stopping you from cancelling (assuming it is before final payment due) and just booking again with another TA...or the same for that matter? Am I missing something?

 

 

Mitch

 

 

People who book using a NextCruise Certificate (something RCL issues to encourage people to book far in advance) would loose their OBC if they cancelled and rebooked. The benefit goes with the booking number.

 

People who use RCL VISA points toward the purchase of their cruise would lose their points. The points are placed toward a specific booking number.

 

People who book during the WOW sale (something RCL does to encourage people to book in advance) will lose their OBC.

 

If the price drop occurs before final payment but AFTER the point at which a cancellation penalty kicks in, you would be unable to cancel and re-book.

[LMZinSC]

Q: What is the Royal Caribbean Best Price Guarantee Program? A: When you reserve with Royal Caribbean and subsequently find a lower rate advertised by Royal Caribbean within 48 hours from the time the reservation is made, we will honor that lower eligible rate by applying an onboard credit to the reservation equal to 110% of the price difference. For reservations outside of final payment period, the onboard credit may be replaced, upon request, with a reduction to the outstanding balance or a refund. An eligible, fare must be:

a) available for the same ship, sailing, category and number of guests as the current reservation;

b) available at the time the request for the lower rate is made; and

c) a rate that the current reservation would be eligible to receive, if any special restrictions apply.

 

 

Where is it you think you see that you will have to cancel and rebook? This says they will give you a price reduction as long as you are before final payment. There will be no canceling and rebooking and losing OBC. It will continue to work the same as it has always worked before final payment.

[WhiteSoxFan]

BTW, why can't RC hire one person that can write the rules such that they are clear, and not open to endless interpretation????

 

The new policy seems very clear as written. I think people are trying to read more into it or trying to read what they want into it. Based on a number of post it seems they intend to abide by the new policy as written. If you find a lower price within 48 hours you get 110% of the difference back, otherwise cancel and re-book while possibly losing any perks you got from booking (OBC, reduced deposit, etc.)

 

I still may book the Allure for January, with it being a new ship who knows where the pricing will go. I can always cancel and pony up the full deposit which I will have to do anyway if I wait.

[WhiteSoxFan]

Q: What is the Royal Caribbean Best Price Guarantee Program? A: When you reserve with Royal Caribbean and subsequently find a lower rate advertised by Royal Caribbean within 48 hours from the time the reservation is made, we will honor that lower eligible rate by applying an onboard credit to the reservation equal to 110% of the price difference. For reservations outside of final payment period, the onboard credit may be replaced, upon request, with a reduction to the outstanding balance or a refund. An eligible, fare must be:

a) available for the same ship, sailing, category and number of guests as the current reservation;

b) available at the time the request for the lower rate is made; and

c) a rate that the current reservation would be eligible to receive, if any special restrictions apply.

 

 

Where is it you think you see that you will have to cancel and rebook? This says they will give you a price reduction as long as you are before final payment. There will be no canceling and rebooking and losing OBC. It will continue to work the same as it has always worked before final payment.

The reduction must occur within 48 hours of the reservation.

[Bobbyjean]

Could someone give me a link to the page on the UK website that talks about price reductions?

 

I just spoke to my TA and she has never heard of it.

[sanbmet]

I think its important to repeat that they are going to KILL their Next Cruise business.

 

Remember, the key here is that you would have to cancel and rebook the cruise to get a discount. If you have a Next Cruise, you have to keep the same booking number.

 

If you cancelled it to get the lower price, you would lose your Next Cruise OBC. :eek:

 

How do they think they are going to handle that one? Or didn't they work that into the equation yet?

 

And if you cancel then rebook...would you also lose the reduced deposit advantage that you had if you did an onboard booking?????.....so instead of $100 per person for a 12 night cruise, you would have to bump back up to the full deposit.

[tropicbird]

And if you cancel then rebook...would you also lose the reduced deposit advantage that you had if you did an onboard booking?????.....so instead of $100 per person for a 12 night cruise, you would have to bump back up to the full deposit.

 

Yep.