No point booking early

[Two 2 Tango]

Just had an email from RCI regarding getting $200 OBS if you book now for the cruise I booked months ago. I inquired if we would be included in this as they had sent me the email, but was told it was only for new bookings. Just like rubbing salt in the wounds. :mad:

[Jason12]

Same old story from RCI UK, we book with a US travel agent now, great prices, offers, free gratuities plus refundable deposit..

[RSLeesburg]

Just had an email from RCI regarding getting $200 OBS if you book now for the cruise I booked months ago. I inquired if we would be included in this as they had sent me the email, but was told it was only for new bookings. Just like rubbing salt in the wounds. :mad:

 

 

Check the rates. When they were offering $300 OBC here last month, I did mock booking and the first/second rates were raised $125 each, so after you factored in taxes, I think I would have made $40 if I cancelled and rebooked. It did not seem worth the effort for $40 so we stayed with our original price.

 

 

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[pinkroses]

Today I see many price drops on our sailing for March 16. Question: if there is a more desirable cabin/location (D1 balcony) available for less than I paid for a D3 (balcony), can I change to that? I realize it is after final payment so I would not be refunded. Thanks!

[Merion_Mom]

Today I see many price drops on our sailing for March 16. Question: if there is a more desirable cabin/location (D1 balcony) available for less than I paid for a D3 (balcony), can I change to that? I realize it is after final payment so I would not be refunded. Thanks!

 

You certainly should be able to do that.

[Clarea]

Today I see many price drops on our sailing for March 16. Question: if there is a more desirable cabin/location (D1 balcony) available for less than I paid for a D3 (balcony), can I change to that? I realize it is after final payment so I would not be refunded. Thanks!

Usually, however sometimes they refuse if the stateroom price is restricted to new bookings.

Edited March 8, 2014 by clarea

[Royal2464]

The primary advantage to early booking in my opinion is cabin selection. If you are flexible on cabin location and even your sailing date you may be better off waiting. Most often when you book early you have the flexibility to get a lower price before final payment, but not always. If you are not going to fret and worry yourself to death, wait until after final payment time and see if a deal materializes.

[Big_G]

Just had an email from RCI regarding getting $200 OBS if you book now for the cruise I booked months ago. I inquired if we would be included in this as they had sent me the email, but was told it was only for new bookings. Just like rubbing salt in the wounds. :mad:

 

 

You'd be rolling the dice if you wait. Because of a family illness, we had to cancel our March sailing on Celebrity at final payment to avoid penalty. My mom was scheduled for surgery and we didn't want to be on a cruise when that happened. Turns out, the surgery is being pushed out at least another month. We just checked the price of our cruise and it's gone up $400 total and the flights have doubled. Some times you win and sometimes you lose.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TEXASMUNK]

Do not blame Royal Caribbean for the booking policies! You need to look inward. Your government, in order to "protect" you has set up stringent policies that cause corporations to react in order to prevent lawsuits, etc.

 

It truly is one of those situations where your government "protects" you and the unintended consequence is that it costs you!

 

Cruise lines are held liable for just about every imaginable problem so the need to insure the margins to cover those costs is not the blame of any cruise line, but reverts right back to the folks that are there to "protect" you!

[Jason12]

Do not blame Royal Caribbean for the booking policies! You need to look inward. Your government, in order to "protect" you has set up stringent policies that cause corporations to react in order to prevent lawsuits, etc.

 

 

 

It truly is one of those situations where your government "protects" you and the unintended consequence is that it costs you!

 

 

 

Cruise lines are held liable for just about every imaginable problem so the need to insure the margins to cover those costs is not the blame of any cruise line, but reverts right back to the folks that are there to "protect" you!

 

 

So our government are stopping RC offering refundable deposits, free changes to bookings and the same offers other countries get?

[pinkroses]

Today I see many price drops on our sailing for March 16. Question: if there is a more desirable cabin/location (D1 balcony) available for less than I paid for a D3 (balcony), can I change to that? I realize it is after final payment so I would not be refunded. Thanks!

 

 

I got my answer. After final payment, you can change cabins within your category but not into another category. This time it would have paid to book later!! Thats ok though

[Roce48]

Do not blame Royal Caribbean for the booking policies! You need to look inward. Your government, in order to "protect" you has set up stringent policies that cause corporations to react in order to prevent lawsuits, etc.

 

It truly is one of those situations where your government "protects" you and the unintended consequence is that it costs you!

 

Cruise lines are held liable for just about every imaginable problem so the need to insure the margins to cover those costs is not the blame of any cruise line, but reverts right back to the folks that are there to "protect" you!

 

What booking policies other than TSA screening has the Gov't put in place?

 

Should we complain about seat belt laws because it increases the cost of a car? How about fire safety laws that drive up the cost of new buildings? How about mining safety laws? We should be grateful.

[shutterbug63]

Honestly, I'm willing to take the chance of paying a little more by booking early to get the cabin I want. I'm very picky. I also prefer aft balconies, and sometimes those are hard to come by unless you book early.

[Clagmeister]

The primary advantage to early booking in my opinion is cabin selection. If you are flexible on cabin location and even your sailing date you may be better off waiting. Most often when you book early you have the flexibility to get a lower price before final payment, but not always. If you are not going to fret and worry yourself to death, wait until after final payment time and see if a deal materializes.

 

Nice advice but none of it applies to UK bookings.:(

[critterchick]

I got my answer. After final payment, you can change cabins within your category but not into another category. This time it would have paid to book later!! Thats ok though

 

I just re-read your post. The rule that I've been told is that you can change categories if you are paying more for the cabin (they may not do it for Tuesday specials), but if the price is lower, they won't allow you to change. Just know that, if you have a balcony with a C&A balcony discount, the discount will be reduced by $25 because of the re-faring.

Edited March 8, 2014 by critterchick

[dacsmom]

I booked in Feb 2013 for my Oct 2014 cruise. The price has since doubled so it was a good thing to book early. I got the cabin I wanted at a great price. Find the sailing you want and book when you are comfortable paying the price they ask.

[Brit-Cruiser]

Just had an email from RCI regarding getting $200 OBS if you book now for the cruise I booked months ago. I inquired if we would be included in this as they had sent me the email, but was told it was only for new bookings. Just like rubbing salt in the wounds. :mad:

 

We were thinking about booking a May cruise & when I got this email yesterday, we decided to go for it.....only to see they had put the price up £200 in the space of a few hours, to compensate for the $200 OBC. It's never free...you always pay for it somewhere unfortunately.

[FOXTROT]

Honestly, I'm willing to take the chance of paying a little more by booking early to get the cabin I want. I'm very picky. I also prefer aft balconies, and sometimes those are hard to come by unless you book early.

 

Amen, totally agree with you. Don't mind paying a few bucks more to get that "Special Cabin".

[awhcruiser]

If you don't mind where your cabin is located, then wait until the last possible minute to book. Personally, I would not want to do that.

[phoenix1181]

So our government are stopping RC offering refundable deposits, free changes to bookings and the same offers other countries get?

 

 

Yes. Your government has consumer protection laws in place that have the potential of costing the cruise line major money. As a result the cruise line policies for the UK are much less liberal than in the US.

[DrD]

Same old.

 

When you book early you guarantee you choice of cabin, get fist dibs on MDR assignment, and can book some things early like cabanas. you also lock in your price. Downside is as you've discovered.

 

You get to choose which you prefer. We always book early as the money we could save by waiting is not worth having to settle for a 3 or 4th choice of cabin.

[nomad098]

Do not blame Royal Caribbean for the booking policies! You need to look inward. Your government, in order to "protect" you has set up stringent policies that cause corporations to react in order to prevent lawsuits, etc.

 

It truly is one of those situations where your government "protects" you and the unintended consequence is that it costs you!

 

Cruise lines are held liable for just about every imaginable problem so the need to insure the margins to cover those costs is not the blame of any cruise line, but reverts right back to the folks that are there to "protect" you!

 

I am from the UK and I also believed that the reason UK customers did not get refundable deposits, free cabin changes and price drops was due to government legislation

 

Until I got talking to a friend in the travel industry recently they told me there is no legal or financial reason that we could not have the same system that US/Canadian consumers have

 

The protection you are talking about is "The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992" nowhere in this document does it state that deposits should be non refundable.

 

I am told they would have to pay a bond(fully refundable) or insurance to do business in the UK and I would imagine a company like RCI would have insurance in the US to cover them there if something went wrong

 

It has been a cultural affection in Europe for travel agents and holiday companies to write in the contract that deposits are non refundable, to charge for cabin changes, admin charges and refusal of price drops, this has nothing to do with consumer law but a way for the companies to ensure a revenue stream, it is not in the companies interest to change this.

 

RCI's policies where set up in line with other travel providers policies, they did not have to do this they chose to do this as I would imagine this is more profitable from such a small market

 

The consumer law that protects us also allows companies to put these restrictions in the contracts and it's our choice whether we accept these or not.

 

More and more now in the UK you can book travel arrangements hotels and airport parking where if you cancel before a certain date you receive a full refund of any monies paid

 

Whilst consumers in the UK keep booking cruises or land holidays in the UK where these restrictions are in place nothing will change.

 

If everyone in the UK stopped booking holidays today and said they would not book again until we got the same as the US/Canadian consumers we would have them by the end of the week :eek::eek:(never going to happen)

 

Damon

[karena1]

The primary advantage to early booking in my opinion is cabin selection. If you are flexible on cabin location and even your sailing date you may be better off waiting. Most often when you book early you have the flexibility to get a lower price before final payment, but not always. If you are not going to fret and worry yourself to death, wait until after final payment time and see if a deal materializes.

 

I agree. We book our 7 night cruises early as we want specific cabins. Even with that, many times the prices go down - just saved $100 on our Adventure cruise next april. Short 3/4 night cruises we book last minute. We live in FL so we don't have to fly. Watch the prices and book when the price is a great deal. Don't care for the most part whether we have a OV or Balcony on a short cruise. So works great for us.

[Folk Singer]

Just had an email from RCI regarding getting $200 OBS if you book now for the cruise I booked months ago. I inquired if we would be included in this as they had sent me the email, but was told it was only for new bookings. Just like rubbing salt in the wounds. :mad:

:(

 

 

it seems to be the way.:(

[Folk Singer]

Usually, however sometimes they refuse if the stateroom price is restricted to new bookings.

 

 

thank you.