Booking through RCI benefits?

[thrifty99]

I'm curious if there are any other benefits to booking through Royal Caribbean on top of their small on board credits?

 

We have always booked through Costco as we get much higher credits. Last week on the Allure we had $745 in on board credits from Costco which was over 10% of our cruise price.

 

Thanks in advance.

[LMaxwell]

If you want the most "control" of your reservation, book directly. Otherwise Costco and / or other TA's are going to offer more perks or benefits than the cruise line will such as OBC, pre-paid gratuities, spa/specialty dining, gifts of wine, etc...

[thrifty99]

Thanks for the response.

 

I was searching for other posts regarding the best place to purchase a cruise and noticed that specific travel agents are not supposed to be mentioned. I just joined Cruise Critic this weekend and am learning the rules - sorry if this was an inappropriate post and feel free to remove it if needed.

[dwoz2012]

I was one that always book with RC. Then I found the perks useing a TA. Now I book with RC and transfer the booking to the TA that gives me the best bang for the buck.

[Sam.Seattle]

I was one that always book with RC. Then I found the perks useing a TA. Now I book with RC and transfer the booking to the TA that gives me the best bang for the buck.

Be sure to use the transfer form and watch out for the limited time you have to transfer the reservation from RCI to a TA.

 

From RCI -

 

After You Purchase

 

Q: Can I transfer my reservation to a travel agent if I purchased my cruise directly from Royal Caribbean?

 

A: Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Agent up until 60 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking is not paid in full. If a booking has a ChoiceAir ticket and the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer. If you would like to transfer your reservation to a Travel Agent, please complete this form and return to us via fax.

TA_TransferForm.pdf

Edited April 8, 2014 by Sam.Seattle

[CyberTag]

We booked all of our previous cruises through the same big box TA. Our most recent cruise coming up we booked directly through RCCL. I like to monitor price drops and don't like paying the $25 fee every time I want to make a change. I will miss my large OBC so may switch back for our next cruise.