Transferring booking to T/A for OBC?

[cruisenfever]

Patti, after reading your post, I also checked as it effects me personally.

 

A new memo, issued around noon Cental Time stated the TA rules apply to all reservations, regardless of when they were made. Once again, RCCL has applied a rule retroactively (similar to the changes in the diamond program), effectively removing an option for people who booked months before.:eek: I hope those people will receive the information, but I rather doubt it.:(

That's just about the time I was talking to the rep because she she they had all just received the memo.

[PH8]

That's just about the time I was talking to the rep because she she they had all just received the memo.

and what bad idea this one is:mad:..........Boy,RCCL just keeps changing things,don't they??

 

Glad I transferred mine last week(Oct 19th) for a booking I made in April..

[cruisenfever]

and what bad idea this one is:mad:..........Boy,RCCL just keeps changing things,don't they??

 

Glad I transferred mine last week(Oct 19th) for a booking I made in April..

I agree. There are going to be a lot of unhappy folks when they go to transfer and find out that they can't.:(

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I agree. There are going to be a lot of unhappy folks when they go to transfer and find out that they can't.:(

 

I'm glad I transferred one reservation last week but feel misled by RCI. I was told by C&A D+ that reservations made before Oct 18 could be transferred at any time so I felt comfortable "holding" them until closer to final payment. Now the rules have changed (again). Count me in the "unhappy" group. :mad:

[marci22]

If you try to transfer an old reservation and they won't let you, write an email to C&A. If enough people do it, they might back off.

[caisseold442]

They are doing what ever they please if you booked before june 2010 you cannot utilize the platinum Balcony discount or a savings certificate with the NEXT Booking now they decide i can't tranfer this booking to a TA for OBC no notice what's so ever if i knew about the change it would have been transferred. The reason i book early for Nov 2011 with RCL was to have the most options To shop the reservation for OBC per policy at the time of booking

[PH8]

Thats what is making people upset.:mad::mad:..........no advance notice.....something like that would have help ease the pain..

[39august]

Wow! This is so unfair to those who booked way before Oct. 18...maybe years. I can't understand the "no grandfathering" with this new rule. How can a rule made 10-18-10 be retroactively applied? And why anyway? If a TA gives OBC or prepaid gratuities, RCI is still getting the money.

[mpbmark]

Welcome to the wonderful world of RCCL. There is no reason for anything, just company policy. :( Oh, and also a need to pay off Oasis and Allure.:eek: Wait, maybe that is the reason. :rolleyes:

[dirtgirl]

Thank you. So I guess you have to leave the ship name and sail date blank. Are there any instructions on what to put there to ensure RCL or Celebrity know it is a future cruise certificate?

 

 

I just put down Next Cruise with the number. :)

[Mike&Nancy]

I also called RCCL today, as I had called them about 8 times the 19th to find out what the hell is going on. When I had called them the 19th, they had all told me that anything booked BEFORE the 18th was still your's. Anything booked on or after the 18th was subject to the 60 day rule. So, after hearing the "rumor" of nothing "grandfathered" in, I called again, several times, to make sure I got a different rep each and every time. The OLD rule still stands, people. If you booked BEFORE the 18th of October, your reservation is still your's to do what you will with. We save ours until about 3 weeks before final payment. We are diamond members with 4 cruises booked with RCCL now for the next year and a half. So, I am not worried one bit about this 60 day rule. We love the OBC's as much as anyone else does, so I'm not about to lose any perks gained by NOT turning it over to a TA.

 

Mike!!

[nubeetom]

I called a few TAs and I couldn't get an answer. They just wanted me to transfer it and they would see what they could do.

[mpbmark]

I also called RCCL today, as I had called them about 8 times the 19th to find out what the hell is going on. When I had called them the 19th, they had all told me that anything booked BEFORE the 18th was still your's. Anything booked on or after the 18th was subject to the 60 day rule. So, after hearing the "rumor" of nothing "grandfathered" in, I called again, several times, to make sure I got a different rep each and every time. The OLD rule still stands, people. If you booked BEFORE the 18th of October, your reservation is still your's to do what you will with. We save ours until about 3 weeks before final payment. We are diamond members with 4 cruises booked with RCCL now for the next year and a half. So, I am not worried one bit about this 60 day rule. We love the OBC's as much as anyone else does, so I'm not about to lose any perks gained by NOT turning it over to a TA.

 

Mike!!

 

The best possible outcome would be that the rep you spoke to is correct. Maybe there has been a new memo changing the one that appeared yesterday. Wouldn't be the first time RCCL changed positions on an issue.

[Mike&Nancy]

I called a few TAs and I couldn't get an answer. They just wanted me to transfer it and they would see what they could do.

 

Don't settle for that answer. Keep calling around until you find someone who will give you a definite answer. Of course, this is still considering you can switch your booking to a TA. :rolleyes:

 

The best possible outcome would be that the rep you spoke to is correct. Maybe there has been a new memo changing the one that appeared yesterday. Wouldn't be the first time RCCL changed positions on an issue.

 

Ugh, it's so frustrating. Maybe they've never heard the word consistency. :mad:

 

Nancy

[bob278]

Thanks to those who answered my question of how to fill out the form for transferring a Next Cruise. I transferred 3 of them.

 

I usually keep my bookings until later in the game, but that is more as a courtesy to my TA than any real need. It is rare that I can't reach her quickly, but if I saw a price drop and she was not available, I would simply put a cabin on hold (or even put a deposit on it) and cancel as soon as she got the new price on my old cabin.

 

I don't care if it is grandfathered or not, it made financial sense to me to go ahead and move the bookings to my TA. This way I know I will get the benefits I expected.

 

They did give SOME notice (granted you needed to be active on Cruise Critic or have a really good TA that keeps you informed, but everyone here meets that so folks should calm down a little on that topic). Even if it is not grandfathered, we have 60 days from the change to transfer them (I just transferred 3 and two of them were from 2008).

 

I agree that it is a bad move but it's their business and as long as they keep it legal, they have the right to make these changes. And we have the right to take our business elsewhere.

[willysgrandma]

That is because they need to see how much the commission is before they can quote what they will offer you. RCCL only permits a certain percentage of the cruise price to be given back as an OBC and they are cracking down on agencies that don't play by their rules.

 

 

I called a few TAs and I couldn't get an answer. They just wanted me to transfer it and they would see what they could do.

[Mike&Nancy]

That is because they need to see how much the commission is before they can quote what they will offer you. RCCL only permits a certain percentage of the cruise price to be given back as an OBC and they are cracking down on agencies that don't play by their rules.

 

That's true. But, he can tell them how much he paid for the cruise, and in return they can tell him how much they'll offer. That way, he won't have to transfer his booking to them BEFORE they tell him how much.

[cruisenfever]

I also called RCCL today, as I had called them about 8 times the 19th to find out what the hell is going on. When I had called them the 19th, they had all told me that anything booked BEFORE the 18th was still your's. Anything booked on or after the 18th was subject to the 60 day rule. So, after hearing the "rumor" of nothing "grandfathered" in, I called again, several times, to make sure I got a different rep each and every time. The OLD rule still stands, people. If you booked BEFORE the 18th of October, your reservation is still your's to do what you will with. We save ours until about 3 weeks before final payment. We are diamond members with 4 cruises booked with RCCL now for the next year and a half. So, I am not worried one bit about this 60 day rule. We love the OBC's as much as anyone else does, so I'm not about to lose any perks gained by NOT turning it over to a TA.

 

Mike!!

Oh Mike, I do hope that what you were told is correct.........and I do hope that you got it in writing.:)

[Sue L]

That's true. But, he can tell them how much he paid for the cruise, and in return they can tell him how much they'll offer. That way, he won't have to transfer his booking to them BEFORE they tell him how much.

 

Unfortunately the amount you pay is NOT what the commission is based on. That is the base fare which is your amount minus ALL the taxes and fees and THEN MINUS the NCF (non-commissionable) portion that varies from sailing to sailing so that is why they can't give you a definitive answer since they can't answer that until they see the figures.

[Mike&Nancy]

Unfortunately the amount you pay is NOT what the commission is based on. That is the base fare which is your amount minus ALL the taxes and fees and THEN MINUS the NCF (non-commissionable) portion that varies from sailing to sailing so that is why they can't give you a definitive answer since they can't answer that until they see the figures.

 

Sue, you're absolutely right, of course. You explained it much better than I did. :o :)

 

I guess when I responded, I was thinking of that one site where they will bid (for lack of a better word ;) ) for your booking. I really feel like I'm walking on thin water on this subject, so I'm ready to walk away from it, lol.

 

Mike is much more confident regarding this than I am. I think I need to knock some sense into him, and get those bookings turned over pronto, haha.

 

Nancy

[InsideCruiser]

Unfortunately the amount you pay is NOT what the commission is based on. That is the base fare which is your amount minus ALL the taxes and fees and THEN MINUS the NCF (non-commissionable) portion that varies from sailing to sailing so that is why they can't give you a definitive answer since they can't answer that until they see the figures.

 

My invoice (from a TA) shows the breakdown (Commission-able fare, port fees, taxes).

 

Does an RCI invoice show the same breakdown? If so, you can tell the TA what the commission-able fare is and they can quote the incentive in advance.

[Sue L]

My invoice (from a TA) shows the breakdown (Commission-able fare, port fees, taxes).

 

Does an RCI invoice show the same breakdown? If so, you can tell the TA what the commission-able fare is and they can quote the incentive in advance.

 

It lists fare and then a separate line item for taxes and fees, or is it broken down into 3 parts, base, ncf and taxes and fees? No, guest copy shows fare and separate item for taxes and fees but then a chunk is taken out of the fare portion as NCF's and that amount only shows on the agent copy

[jmom5]

Just an FYI, after hearing about this new rule, I immediately contacted my TA that I usually transfer all my cruises to - normally 2 weeks before final payment. I didn't say anything about the new rule and I just gave her all my current reservation numbers and requested her to transfer them to her for OBC and insurance. Two of the reservations I had booked back in May and the other three were within the 60 day new rule limit. She successfully transferred all of the reservations, including the ones booked last May.

 

Hopefully she didn't just get lucky and they really are grandfathering the reservations booked before the date the rule was instituted.

[NJ Gal]

Just a quick question about this new policy-does it also include Celebrity? We tend to go back and forth between the two lines.

 

Evelyn

[InsideCruiser]

It lists fare and then a separate line item for taxes and fees, or is it broken down into 3 parts, base, ncf and taxes and fees? No, guest copy shows fare and separate item for taxes and fees but then a chunk is taken out of the fare portion as NCF's and that amount only shows on the agent copy

 

My TA invoice shows 3 parts. Actually there are 4 parts (base fee, port fees, taxes, gratuities). So I'm aware of what the commission-able fare is.