Cruise paid, now price is lower.

[doublej]

We booked a cruise for this November while on RCCL last November. The balance for our PR room has been paid. While checking on rooms & prices for a friend that is considering joing us, I discovered the prices for a PR room are being advertised for almost $200 less than I paid last November. Will RCCL give me a credit or upgrade? What steps should I take to get some sort of adjustment if I am entitled?

[Rancher Dave]

Need to call your TA or RCCL and ask them based on your reservation if you are eligible for an upgrade etc...too many different factors come into play to get a specific answer here.

[firefly333]

If you are past final payment, then all you can do is ask for a upgrade.

 

(there is a exception to this if booked prior to the changeover, .. booked before april 2010 or around there).. depends on the date of booking.

 

but the above rule holds for anything else booked since then. any rate.

[iluvcruzin]

We booked a cruise for this November while on RCCL last November. The balance for our PR room has been paid. While checking on rooms & prices for a friend that is considering joing us, I discovered the prices for a PR room are being advertised for almost $200 less than I paid last November. Will RCCL give me a credit or upgrade? What steps should I take to get some sort of adjustment if I am entitled?

 

RCCL no longer provides refunds adjustments or OBC if the price drops after final payment. As was mentioned, you can try and get an upgrade to a higher category if the price equals or pay the difference for an upgrade.

[cruislovin]

RCCL no longer provides refunds adjustments or OBC if the price drops after final payment. As was mentioned, you can try and get an upgrade to a higher category if the price equals or pay the difference for an upgrade.

 

 

What is the new rule and when did this change? The price of my cruise has dropped significantly but I am after final payment... :(

[jchiefs13]

I think it changed when they started ADVERTISING the fact that you can get the lower rate. But, indeed, what they tell you is true. My last call in they reminded me that I could only do an upgrade, not receive any refund or credit if a price drop occurred after my final payment.

 

-J

[sanbmet]

Is there anywhere on the website that explains the price drop policy?

[TonyFred]

I for one totally understand this policy. I would expect price drops to occur to fill empty cabins as the cruise draws near. If they gave them to everyone, it would defeat the purpose. Think of it in terms of car buying...they usually drop the price as the new year's models start arriving. They cant go back and give everyone that bought the cars the new price.

You can always roll the dice and wait to see if drops occur before you book, but as for me, I find what I want, weigh the price, book it, and enjoy my cruise.

[Mines]

You win some and you lose some. With the three cruises I have booked, I feel that I have gained on all of them.

 

I booked all three last April. The Celebrity Equinox cruise dropped in price and I got an upgrade to Aqua class. The Allure and Mariner cruises are already fully booked for the category I have, so while there is no possibility of a price drop or upgrade, I have the satisfaction that I got a good deal by early booking.

[Into the Sun]

been the policy of all cruise lines for quite some time. I too have been biten by the price drop gnat. Now I just book the lowest cabin category I am willing to be in and if the price drops for something else and I am willing and able to pay that I upgrade myself (as RCCL). Last year I met 2 couples that were on their first cruise (not together) that were upgraded from a inside to a JS. Mind you that they had never cruised before and so the upgrade was a huge bonus for them (considering they had only paid less than 750pp). Taught me available lesson, book what you want if you have financial abilty and if not book what you will be happy with.

[Eng23]

What is the new rule and when did this change? The price of my cruise has dropped significantly but I am after final payment... :(

This rule went into effect last year. The only way to be eligible for OBC or refund would be to have booked your cruise before May of 2010.

[oneputt18]

Sandbmet, here is the web link for the price guarantee.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=best_price_guarantee&cid=RCConsumerWebLP-091609BestPriceGuarantee

[cruisenfever]

Here is the thread that will show how the Pricing Policy changed after May 17, 2010.

 

For Future Reference Here is an Outline of the 2009 New Best Price Guarantee Program

[breeze123]

I would call and ask about the upgrade. It's all you're going to possibly get at this point.

[MikeDaDog]

One point of clarification...

 

The price drop policy is for AFTER final payment date. If you paid off your cruise early BEFORE final payment due date you are still eligible for price drops, as long as final payment date has not passed.

[Reimer]

I for one totally understand this policy. I would expect price drops to occur to fill empty cabins as the cruise draws near. If they gave them to everyone, it would defeat the purpose. Think of it in terms of car buying...they usually drop the price as the new year's models start arriving. They cant go back and give everyone that bought the cars the new price.

You can always roll the dice and wait to see if drops occur before you book, but as for me, I find what I want, weigh the price, book it, and enjoy my cruise.

 

I don't think this example holds at all. If someone is paying top dollar for a brand new car that was just released they get the pleasure of being in that car today. Someone who is being loyal to Royal and booking over a year in advance and participating on the same cruise as someone who books last minute and takes advantage of Royal trying to fill the ship is definitely annoying to people who paid more.

 

Now I can understand a business doing this and if its the same category room that you paid for then that I would suck it up. But when it's a higher category room that is selling for less that is when I get pissed off. This just happened to me and I contacted RCI about upgrading as I certainly didn't expect a refund or OBC and they told me that price is only for new booking only. If I wanted to upgrade they would certainly be happy to do so but I had to do it at a much higher price. Seriously where is the loyalty in that?

[sanbmet]

Thanks for the responses!

 

We did do an upgrade for an upcoming cruise at just a little bit more than we were already paying. We figured that we couldn't get OBC or a refund anyway so we opted to go for the upgrade.

However the cruise following it (booked way back in 2009) is on sale this week but there are no higher cabin categories on sale and what is available is a lot higher than we're paying for our D1, We can't take advantage of the sale since it is for "new bookings" only.

Sometimes the the answers from C&A seem to change depending on who is on the other end of the line when you call.

 

 

We'll keep watching the prices, never can tell what might appear!

[chipmaster]

Customer relations and business sometimes align and sometimes are orthogonal.

 

Why is it that people expect a refund after things are paid in full and because of supply/demand the company needs to move available inventory and offer a sail? Of course we all want to save a buck and hope that a company in the spirit of good customer relations will offer us a upgrade but that is a desire and not a right.

 

We seem to expect it with plane tickets and many other purchase, but somehow cruise are different?

[melbur]

Customer relations and business sometimes align and sometimes are orthogonal.

 

Why is it that people expect a refund after things are paid in full and because of supply/demand the company needs to move available inventory and offer a sail? Of course we all want to save a buck and hope that a company in the spirit of good customer relations will offer us a upgrade but that is a desire and not a right.

 

We seem to expect it with plane tickets and many other purchase, but somehow cruise are different?

 

I don't think it's even about expecting a refund - recently for our Mariner cruise the C&A Sales Event had OS listed at $150 pp less than what we paid for our GS - we didn't want a refund or OBC, we are aware of the rules - just a lateral move would have been fine. But no, for NEW bookings only. Why would someone who booked at the last minute get a better deal than someone who booked 10 months ago? That's what I have a problem with.

[Reimer]

Customer relations and business sometimes align and sometimes are orthogonal.

 

Why is it that people expect a refund after things are paid in full and because of supply/demand the company needs to move available inventory and offer a sail? Of course we all want to save a buck and hope that a company in the spirit of good customer relations will offer us a upgrade but that is a desire and not a right.

 

We seem to expect it with plane tickets and many other purchase, but somehow cruise are different?

 

It's the way business goes. No one should be getting a better experience for less money. You upgrade the people who paid more and sell the cheaper cabins for less money. First of it's great customer relations/PR and secondly is makes sense for the company to not kill their profit margins on the respective cabin categories.

[waterbug123]

Why would someone who booked at the last minute get a better deal than someone who booked 10 months ago? That's what I have a problem with.

 

The point no one has made is that when you book in advance, you DO get extra value with your booking that a last minute passenger doesn't get. The value I'm talking about is the security of KNOWING that you have a cabin that suits you for the sailing you want to go on. The person who waits til the last minute, hoping to get a cheap price on a nice cabin, is taking a risk; there is no guarantee there will be cabins remaining a month or two out, or that there will be remaining cabins in a desirable cabin category. Sometimes that risk pays off, sometimes it doesn't.

If you don't like the fact that someone who books 10 months after you might get a better deal, then stop booking your cruises 10 months in advance, and wait til a month or two out. ;)

[melbur]

The point no one has made is that when you book in advance, you DO get extra value with your booking that a last minute passenger doesn't get. The value I'm talking about is the security of KNOWING that you have a cabin that suits you for the sailing you want to go on. The person who waits til the last minute, hoping to get a cheap price on a nice cabin, is taking a risk; there is no guarantee there will be cabins remaining a month or two out, or that there will be remaining cabins in a desirable cabin category. Sometimes that risk pays off, sometimes it doesn't.

If you don't like the fact that someone who books 10 months after you might get a better deal, then stop booking your cruises 10 months in advance, and wait til a month or two out. ;)

 

I think you misunderstood my point completely- we had a GS booked and paid for, happy with location, price, etc. We have a cabin that suits us just fine. We would never wait til the last minute to get a "cheap price on a nice cabin" as you put it. But why can't I seize an unexpected opportunity when it presents itself?

[Esmerelda]

There are some of us that totally promote booking about 6 weeks out for great deals. Our last 2 cruises, we've done great with price and with cabins. We always book a balcony and our choices have suited us just fine.

 

We are all different. Some people would never dream of booking anything less than 6-10 months out. I've discovered for me and my family; that by planning in advance, my vacation at the hospital, my hubby's vacation (that has to be booked at least 4 months out) and our airfare, that it's definitely a better deal for us. What it boils down to is you can either pay the going price way out and pick a specific cabin or book at 6 weeks out, have a few less choices of cabins, but get a great deal. We are all different in our choices and that's ok. We just have to be happy with whichever we choose and most of all, have a GREAT cruise!

 

 

:D

[Richiebaseball]

It's the way business goes. No one should be getting a better experience for less money. You upgrade the people who paid more and sell the cheaper cabins for less money. First of it's great customer relations/PR and secondly is makes sense for the company to not kill their profit margins on the respective cabin categories.

 

Maybe it's just the capitalist in me but that's certainly not my way of thinking.

[mikishel]

We booked 8 months ago an inside gty Med cruise next month on the Navigator. The priced dropped a few weeks ago, and we got a free upgrade to an outside stateroom. The price dropped again, and for $45 total (not per person) we were upgraded to a hump balcony using platinum balcony discount. That was good enough for me. :D