RCCL Next Cruise Cert help.

[fishtaco]

OK I have 2 both in AU dollars just haven't used one yet!

 

The certificate value is $100 what I paid for it plus if I use it I get some OBC.

 

So for just the two of us using one of the certificates if I book how much deposit do i pay now? Just an extra $100 for the second person or do i have to pay another $100 for myself as well at time of booking cruise?

 

Also I cant use the certificate to book online and RCCL Australia in their great wisdom do not open on Saturdays:confused: Monday to Friday 9-5 EST which makes it almost impossible for me to book from West Australia as I cant use my work phone for private calls.

 

Do they have another number?

[mr walker]

So for just the two of us using one of the certificates if I book how much deposit do i pay now? Just an extra $100 for the second person

 

Yes, just $100 for the 2nd persons deposit - nothing further until final payment. Also the OBC will be in US$ (the onboard currency) & will be based on the number of nights.

 

You are correct - there is no facility to use the FCC on-line - you have to call. We use a TA so it was easy for us, although there was a bit of drama getting the certs transferred to the TA & we had 3 in total :)

[gaechann]

OK I have 2 both in AU dollars just haven't used one yet!

 

The certificate value is $100 what I paid for it plus if I use it I get some OBC.

 

So for just the two of us using one of the certificates if I book how much deposit do i pay now? Just an extra $100 for the second person or do i have to pay another $100 for myself as well at time of booking cruise?

 

Also I cant use the certificate to book online and RCCL Australia in their great wisdom do not open on Saturdays:confused: Monday to Friday 9-5 EST which makes it almost impossible for me to book from West Australia as I cant use my work phone for private calls.

 

Do they have another number?

 

From their website, I find the cruise, ship & cabin I'm interested in then put it on Courtesy Hold. I then call them next day. In the meantime you'll be emailed a Confirmation of your booking on hold.

 

Last time I was patched through to one of their offices in the US. I can't say that the delightful young man that attended to me knew any more than the local RCI staff but at least I was able to confirm my booking and have it transferred into the Onboard Booking Confirmation number that I purchased onboard one of my former cruises.

 

The invoice I received back from them was, and still is incorrect but hopefully it will be all sorted out well before my cruise in Feb 2015. The first On-Hold Confirmation invoice that was emailed to me showed the correct amount with the correct Earlybird Discount but no discount shown on the second confirmation nor any Balcony Discount. I'll give them a week to correct it before I call them again.

 

Good luck with it all - Gae

Edited January 4, 2014 by gaechann

[fishtaco]

From their website, I find the cruise, ship & cabin I'm interested in then put it on Courtesy Hold. I then call them next day. In the meantime you'll be emailed a Confirmation of your booking on hold.

 

Last time I was patched through to one of their offices in the US. I can't say that the delightful young man that attended to me knew any more than the local RCI staff but at least I was able to confirm my booking and have it transferred into the Onboard Booking Confirmation number that I purchased onboard one of my former cruises.

 

The invoice I received back from them was, and still is incorrect but hopefully it will be all sorted out well before my cruise in Feb 2015. The first On-Hold Confirmation invoice that was emailed to me showed the correct amount with the correct Earlybird Discount but no discount shown on the second confirmation nor any Balcony Discount. I'll give them a week to correct it before I call them again.

 

Good luck with it all - Gae

 

If I put the 24 hour courtesy hold online then will it not show my cabin choice as unavailable when I finally get to call them with my NCC?

[fishtaco]

Yes, just $100 for the 2nd persons deposit - nothing further until final payment. Also the OBC will be in US$ (the onboard currency) & will be based on the number of nights.

 

You are correct - there is no facility to use the FCC on-line - you have to call. We use a TA so it was easy for us, although there was a bit of drama getting the certs transferred to the TA & we had 3 in total :)

 

Seems harder to go down the swap to T/A path!

 

I dont see the point in transferring to a T/A as my certificates could only be purchased in AU Dollars so I cant use them with a US T/A

[gaechann]

If I put the 24 hour courtesy hold online then will it not show my cabin choice as unavailable when I finally get to call them with my NCC?

 

No, it will show as being held FOR YOU! You will receive an email with a booking number. Quote this number when you call them and they will transfer it to your Onboard booking number that you received when you paid for your Next Cruise Certificate. Works for me each time! :)

[fishtaco]

Hi Gae you seem to have booked a few RCCL,s lately! every time i try to book online even though there are plenty of cabins I cant choose Traditional dinning?

 

I dont mind pre paying Grats but i dont like YTD/MTD, is it easier to secure Trad Dinning when booking on the phone?

 

Also my preference in C&A is for Trad Dinning so would it swap after booking?

 

Cheers:)

[Dizziedi]

Hi Fishtaco, put the cabin on 24 hour hold and then ring RCI and tell them you want to use your Certificate as the deposit on that cabin. They will take the reservation number of the "held" cabin and transfer it to your Certificate number. I have done this and it's not a problem - unless of course you get an operator who has no idea:eek: in which case, ask for a Team Leader.

 

Cheers

Di

Edited January 4, 2014 by Dizziedi

[fishtaco]

Hi Fishtaco, put the cabin on 24 hour hold and then ring RCI and tell them you want to use your Certificate as the deposit on that cabin. They will take the reservation number of the "held" cabin and transfer it to your Certificate number. I have done this and it's not a problem - unless of course you get an operator who has no idea:eek: in which case, ask for a Team Leader.

 

Cheers

Di

 

Thanks I will put a 24hour hold on Sunday as the phone lines dont open for RCI AU until Monday morning:rolleyes:

[gaechann]

Hi Gae you seem to have booked a few RCCL,s lately! every time i try to book online even though there are plenty of cabins I cant choose Traditional dinning?

 

I dont mind pre paying Grats but i dont like YTD/MTD, is it easier to secure Trad Dinning when booking on the phone?

 

Also my preference in C&A is for Trad Dinning so would it swap after booking?

 

Cheers:)

 

It's been suggested that the website only allows MTD as a way of having everyone hooked into pre-paid gratuities. Not sure if that IS the case but speaking to the RCI operator should get it changed to what you prefer.

 

Let us know how you go!

[fishtaco]

It's been suggested that the website only allows MTD as a way of having everyone hooked into pre-paid gratuities. Not sure if that IS the case but speaking to the RCI operator should get it changed to what you prefer.

 

Let us know how you go!

 

I was part of the original discussions on RCCL forum when the Auto daily Grats charge first came in, thats when many US cruisers decided to switch from ATD/MTD to Trad Dinning in protest lol.

 

When I have booked Carnival USA from Australia by phone or online there is no option to remove pre paid Grats but there is for US citizens, I thought maybe RCI had gone the same way by perhaps only offering MTD/ATD to Aussies because they dont trust us with tips?:D

 

But honestly no option for Traditional dinning is a deal never to be done for us and will not book if we can only get ATD/MTD :mad:

[cassamanda]

Thanks I will put a 24hour hold on Sunday as the phone lines dont open for RCI AU until Monday morning:rolleyes:

 

Put the cabin on hold today and give the number a try over the weekend as I think you will be transferred to the USA which also happens during normal hours if rccl au is overloaded. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

My sister just booked a cruise on New Year's Day through rccl.

 

No problem getting MTD changes done after booking. You also can't transfer the certificate to a US TA.

Hugh

[fishtaco]

Put the cabin on hold today and give the number a try over the weekend as I think you will be transferred to the USA which also happens during normal hours if rccl au is overloaded. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

My sister just booked a cruise on New Year's Day through rccl.

 

No problem getting MTD changes done after booking. You also can't transfer the certificate to a US TA.

Hugh

 

Thanks I put the 24 hour hold on but the phone lines yesterday and today said to call back Mon- Fri 9-5 EST.

 

I got my sister in law to purchase a NCC on Oasis in the states hoping I could get a USA one but they would still only issue it in AU Dollars:(

 

On my voyager cruise i tried to buy one giving a US travel agent but they would not allow this either:(

[gaechann]

Thanks I put the 24 hour hold on but the phone lines yesterday and today said to call back Mon- Fri 9-5 EST.

 

I got my sister in law to purchase a NCC on Oasis in the states hoping I could get a USA one but they would still only issue it in AU Dollars:(

 

On my voyager cruise i tried to buy one giving a US travel agent but they would not allow this either:(

 

Just wondering if you've had your booking confirmed yet and had your dining time changed.:confused:

 

I called the local office today and was patched through to one of their US offices for assistance.

 

Gae

[fishtaco]

Just wondering if you've had your booking confirmed yet and had your dining time changed.:confused:

 

I called the local office today and was patched through to one of their US offices for assistance.

 

Gae

 

I have called RCI AU twice today and both times they were so busy they couldnt even put me in the phone queue? Both times I was not patched through to USA the phone just hung up after the message?

[fishtaco]

Just wondering if you've had your booking confirmed yet and had your dining time changed.:confused:

 

I called the local office today and was patched through to one of their US offices for assistance.

 

Gae

 

Finally got through but to USA lol

 

From USA they cant attach the early bird booking discount without a supervisor so I was told this will be done later?

 

Nice call centre person though:)

[gaechann]

Finally got through but to USA lol

 

From USA they cant attach the early bird booking discount without a supervisor so I was told this will be done later?

 

Nice call centre person though:)

 

OK, interesting result! I spoke to someone in the RCI office in Oregon and he told asked me to hold the line for a few minutes so he could fix it all up for me. I then received an email from them with the adjusted booking number which was the same as the original Future Cruise Certificate number that I purchased on-board.

 

I hope they email you with the correct booking details shortly. Let me know how it works out for you.

[fishtaco]

OK, interesting result! I spoke to someone in the RCI office in Oregon and he told asked me to hold the line for a few minutes so he could fix it all up for me. I then received an email from them with the adjusted booking number which was the same as the original Future Cruise Certificate number that I purchased on-board.

 

I hope they email you with the correct booking details shortly. Let me know how it works out for you.

 

Yes i got a new booking with the FCC number on it but the price is $1200 more because she couldnt apply the early bird discount of $6oo each that was on the original hold booking, she said I will get an amended booking once a supervisor applies the discount

[gaechann]

Yes i got a new booking with the FCC number on it but the price is $1200 more because she couldnt apply the early bird discount of $6oo each that was on the original hold booking, she said I will get an amended booking once a supervisor applies the discount

 

 

I understand now as the same happened with my booking that they had to change over to my Future Cruise booking number.

 

My total comes up as $5K-something instead of the $3K-something it should be but I know it takes them a couple of weeks to sort it all out so I'm not too concerned at this early stage.

[gaechann]

Just a bit of interesting information - well, I found it interesting!

 

When I called the local RCI number here I was patched through to a call centre in Springfield Oregon the first time.

 

The next time I called about another matter, I ended up speaking to an operator in Guatamala (sp?) in South America who was telling me that they had some Australians working in the office to assist them with the Australian-isms and our accent.

 

He told me that the locals all struggled initially to understand what we were saying especially if we used Australian slang but now he understands that "no worries" means "OK" and is getting better each time understanding us. Apparantly it's quite a usual occurence for us here to be patched through to other offices so they have to work through the night to cover our office times here.

 

This operator (Carlos)was saying that he starts work at 4pm and works through to 2am to cover our hours. He informed me that they were 17 hours behind us so at 12 mid-day when I rang it was 7pm YESTERDAY there! :D

[Dizziedi]

You also can't transfer the certificate to a US TA.

Hugh

 

Hi Hugh, you can IF your cruise that you bought your certificate on was booked through an US agent.

 

In Auckland - another beautiful day:) and just to make you green - it's Chops tonight:p

 

Cheers

Di

[cassamanda]

Hi Hugh, you can IF your cruise that you bought your certificate on was booked through an US agent.

 

In Auckland - another beautiful day:) and just to make you green - it's Chops tonight:p

 

Cheers

Di

 

That's interesting.

There are some really good deals on at the moment with rccl on the new year sales, eg, JS less than a D category. Think I may get into trouble again :eek:

Don't know if can wait until next cruise to book, besides next cruise certificates arent combinable with these sales according o the rules. Some cruises have $1400 to $2000 off per person but if it is in 2015 there is no OBC being offered, just the price reduction. For cruises up to Dec 2014 you can get $300 plus price reduction.

 

I'm having chops tonight too :):)

 

Grrrrrrr:mad:

 

Have a good one,

Hugh

[CruisinCat31]

I understand now as the same happened with my booking that they had to change over to my Future Cruise booking number.

 

My total comes up as $5K-something instead of the $3K-something it should be but I know it takes them a couple of weeks to sort it all out so I'm not too concerned at this early stage.

 

That's interesting.

Don't know if can wait until next cruise to book, besides next cruise certificates arent combinable with these sales according o the rules. Some cruises have $1400 to $2000 off per person but if it is in 2015 there is no OBC being offered, just the price reduction. For cruises up to Dec 2014 you can get $300 plus price reduction.

 

Have a good one,

Hugh

 

I am confused! I have a 'next cruise' certificate and rang today to book a cruise on the Early Bird Sale, for Feb 2015. I went through to the US and spoke to a very helpful gentleman, however he said I definitely wasn't entitled to the Early Bird discount with my next cruise certificate. He said the next cruise certificate counts as an existing booking as there is already a booking number and the cost worked out to be $2000+ more.

 

I then decided to book without the cruise certificate as I wanted a particular cabin (that I couldn't select online, but that's another story) and the deal was so good I thought I'd book even if I couldn't use my certificate, or could get more info and perhaps apply the certificate later.

 

Anyway, I get home from work and check my email and I have a reservation confirmation with the new booking number and the correct discounted early bird price, and the full deposit due by next week. This was emailed to me at the time I made the booking. However, I also have another reservation confirmation that was sent to me hours later that has another reservation for the same cruise but with my next cruise booking number, showing the deposit as paid, but the overall price for the much higher rate! The cabin is the one next door to the one I booked.

 

I am thinking that maybe they decided they could apply my certificate and are in the process of doing that? But then I saw Hugh's comment that you cant combine the next cruise certificate with Early Bird Sale. Very confusing and I will email them or call again tomorrow to try and work out what's going on.

 

Will be keen to hear if Gae gets the certificate and early bird combo.

 

On the other note I mentioned earlier re cabin booking, when attempting to book a balcony cabin for the cruise I am going on in a few weeks and also for the one I just booked for Feb 2015, the RCI website only allows the lowest category (E3) to be selected, and wont let me change to a different category (E1), hence I had to ring and book. I haven't noticed this issue when booking previously. Do they do this on purpose to sell off particular cabins first or is it just another glitch with their website?

 

Anyway, I'm happy, I have two cruises booked, and a third it seems is a claytons booking. Will have to see what happens :D

[cassamanda]

I am confused! I have a 'next cruise' certificate and rang today to book a cruise on the Early Bird Sale, for Feb 2015. I went through to the US and spoke to a very helpful gentleman, however he said I definitely wasn't entitled to the Early Bird discount with my next cruise certificate. He said the next cruise certificate counts as an existing booking as there is already a booking number and the cost worked out to be $2000+ more.

 

I then decided to book without the cruise certificate as I wanted a particular cabin (that I couldn't select online, but that's another story) and the deal was so good I thought I'd book even if I couldn't use my certificate, or could get more info and perhaps apply the certificate later.

 

Anyway, I get home from work and check my email and I have a reservation confirmation with the new booking number and the correct discounted early bird price, and the full deposit due by next week. This was emailed to me at the time I made the booking. However, I also have another reservation confirmation that was sent to me hours later that has another reservation for the same cruise but with my next cruise booking number, showing the deposit as paid, but the overall price for the much higher rate! The cabin is the one next door to the one I booked.

 

I am thinking that maybe they decided they could apply my certificate and are in the process of doing that? But then I saw Hugh's comment that you cant combine the next cruise certificate with Early Bird Sale. Very confusing and I will email them or call again tomorrow to try and work out what's going on.

 

Will be keen to hear if Gae gets the certificate and early bird combo.

 

On the other note I mentioned earlier re cabin booking, when attempting to book a balcony cabin for the cruise I am going on in a few weeks and also for the one I just booked for Feb 2015, the RCI website only allows the lowest category (E3) to be selected, and wont let me change to a different category (E1), hence I had to ring and book. I haven't noticed this issue when booking previously. Do they do this on purpose to sell off particular cabins first or is it just another glitch with their website?

 

Anyway, I'm happy, I have two cruises booked, and a third it seems is a claytons booking. Will have to see what happens :D

 

Correct, you cannot combine a next cruise certificate or any other loyalty discount with this sale as it applies to new bookings only. You also cannot cancel an existing booking and rebook and hope to get the discount.

This is one para out of the rules and conditions:

"Offer is not combinable with any other offer and/or promotion, including, but not limited to, Crown & Anchor, Shareholder Benefits, Future or NextCruise offers."

 

The problem with not being able to select the higher grade balcony cabins seems to be a website glitch that has been there for many months. Also happens on the D1/D2 selections. Works ok on the website on board the ship.

 

Might be worth an email to bring it to their attention.

Hugh

[fishtaco]

Well Well Well Total balls up again by RCI:rolleyes:

 

I think I will dump them totally as a cruise line.

 

I put on my 24 hour hold Sunday, called through on monday had my FCC applied to the booking but the booking with FCC was $1200 more than the original hold price Booking

 

I was assured a supervisor would apply the early bird discount of $1200 and I would receive another booking email, well i did for the same price as the higher priced FCC booking with just the OBC added!

 

Now I cant get through to them all day:mad:

 

Looks like I will have to cancel and loose my deposit due to their F#$$ up.

 

Not happy!