Finally the end of the BOGOHO promotion

[bouhunter]

Excellent strategy!

 

In theory, if (and this is a big if) RCCL maintains the same base prices, this promo will be better for balconies... e.g.

 

$2000 base rate for a balcony for two under BOGO - $2000 + $1000 = $3000

 

$2000 base rate under 30/30 - $1400 + $1400 = $2800

 

Of course, the math would be significantly different for an inside or outside

 

Of course, the price on June 1 probably won't be the same......

[Laney219]

I'm interested in finding this out as well. Funny how the terms got changed during BOGOHO to exclude them, so it would not surprise me to find out that it will exclude 30/30 as well.

 

It might work if you try to redeem on June 1 before they have a chance to change the terms:rolleyes:

 

Forgive me. New BofA rewards holder. What royal rewards were excluded w the BOGOHO?

[Glassrobinson]

I usually take the overall price and calculate a price per day, per person.

If it seems like a value we book it. If you look at the price of some all-inclusive resorts, cruising is still a good value.

[molly361]

Forgive me. New BofA rewards holder. What royal rewards were excluded w the BOGOHO?

 

If you have any bookings with BOGOHO you can not use the awards for upgrades, free cruises or free companion fares.

 

You can use them for OBC or money off a cruise.

Edited May 29, 2015 by molly361

[FloridaPalms]

Forgive me. New BofA rewards holder. What royal rewards were excluded w the BOGOHO?

 

No rewards were really excluded, but if you wanted to redeem points toward a free or companion free cruise, Royal would remove the BOGOHO and the maximum reward value would be applied against the higher jacked up rate. For the most part, this would cause you to lose so much of the reward value that you would do better keeping the BOGOHO and applying those reward points to either $ off or OBC where they were worth only half as much as the free/companion cruise amount.

 

~ Judy

Edited May 29, 2015 by FloridaPalms

[njmomof2]

I've been watching a cruise I have booked for August, with final payment on June 9th.

 

I was able to grab a price drop in March, and nothing since. It's on the BOGOHO pricing, and the average price per person right now is $899 (before our D or D+ balcony discount).

 

When looking at the current prices, it's averaging out at $1,027.50/pp due to the BOGOHO pricing, so obviously more than I'm paying. But the first person price is $1370. If you remove the BOGOHO pricing, take that for first and second, and subtract 30%, your per person price is now $959, so definitely not better than I'm paying.

 

I guess I'll just have to see what the actual price is before the discount to see if it's worth our calling in. I have 2 double cabins and 1 triple, so I'll have to check all of them and see if anything new is better.

[shutterbug63]

Well, this is no good for me. New bookings only and I already have one booked. I'm not sure it would have saved me anything anyway.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

BOGOHO is better if you have more than two in a cabin.

 

We currently have two D1 cabins booked for 2016, each with three people. The 'base' rate for pax 1 & 2 is $2269, and pax 3 is $1079. With the BOGOHO, pax 2 & 3 are both 50% off, making the total $3943.

 

Under 30/30/30 the total is $4255 (30% off pax 1 &2, but 0% off pax 3).

[missemo12345]

So it states you must sail by 4/2016? The cruise I am looking at is in September 2016 so guess no luck for me is this correct?

[wolfcathorse]

I'm amazed the 30-30 sale will let me also take my D+ discount (if i book a balcony)

[juiceman]

I had a little bird tell me that the BOGO promo finally ends on 05-31-15. It will be replaced with the 30-30-30.

 

1. 30% off the first passenger

2. 30% off the second passenger

3. She would not tell me what the final 30 was for.

 

Anybody else have any insight. I apologize if this has already been posted.

 

30% increase on 30 of the most popular drinks sold on Royal Caribbean ships.

[teecee60]

All smoke and mirrors of course..

 

 

Isn't it AMAZING how much money a company will spend on MARKETING HYPE, to make people THINK they are getting a good deal...

 

...instead of simply giving people a good deal. :rolleyes:

 

I usually take the overall price and calculate a price per day, per person. If it seems like a value we book it.

 

EXACTLY! I don't book unless the base fare is under $50pp/day. And I usually end up getting enough OBC to pay for the taxes and tips. :)

 

You can't normally get prices that low unless you wait until after final payment... BUT...

 

I just booked a 35 night B2B on Explorer OTS for just under that $50pp/day figure, through the BOGOHO sale. :D

 

(unfortunately the shareholder benefit isn't allowed with BOGOHO sale, so I'm actually going to have to pay my own tips this time)

Edited May 29, 2015 by teecee60

[FloridaPalms]

Whatever. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

 

If it's a better price, great. Book it.

 

If it's the same price, who cares? If you want to go , book it.

 

If it's a higher price, well, you missed out on the lower price because you didn't book earlier. Sorry. Book it or not. It's up to you.

 

That advice stands whether there are promotions, sales or not. Just book at a total price you are happy with, keep an eye open until final payment for any price drops, and then stop looking (unless you are holding out for a minimal cost upgrade).

 

I pretty much agree with this completely. How you arrive at the bottom line price is really not important, it is just marketing. IE BS.

 

Sometimes the promotions are are a good deal, and most times it is just another way to arrive at the same final price.

 

I think way too many people are looking for a steal, and if they don't get it they feel cheated. That is wierd to me. There are some facts about cruise pricing. Popular ships are going to cost more than older ships with less things to do. Summer, Christmas, Spring Break, will always cost more than hurricane season. Alaska is cheaper in May than July August. ETC. ETC.

 

Don't stress over the small stuff and BOGO and 30/30 don't even qualify as small stuff.:D

 

jc

 

I agree with your posts for the most part except for the way you both trivialize the BOGO b***s***. I think it has aggravated many since it morphed from being an actual sale into over a year long joke that insulted our intelligence. Seasoned cruisers know the base fares have been jacked up to cover the half off. Also, ask anyone who has been sitting on enough BoA Royal Rewards for a free or companion cruise, but couldn't get the full value of them and opted instead for $ off or OBC at half the value because of the BOGOHO pricing, if it was small stuff. :(

 

I'm not looking for a steal but, as we are raising our grandson and have to cruise at peak times when school is out, I do look for good value.

 

Sometimes good deals can just be the result of being flexible on which ship to sail.

 

I didn't book this year's Navigator Thanksgiving cruise until March 10th of this year. I had booked 4 of us in the HA-1814 on Freedom until reviews came in showing it was not suitable for our needs. I found balconies on NOTS were reduced to their lowest price for this sailing. It was 1 day less than FOTS but with the $100pp OBC and FCC credit, 2 balconies came to $550 less than the OV on FOTS.

 

I was considering Freedom for next year's Thanksgiving week school break but booked Independence after I compared prices. IOTS was 1 day and 1 port (Grand Cayman) less than FOTS and disembarked on Thanksgiving day. But its JS was over $500pp less than FOTS! No way was that extra day on the same class ship worth $1000+ to me!

 

And once I am onboard, I NEVER stress the small stuff. :D

 

~ Judy

[Retired LEO]

So it states you must sail by 4/2016? The cruise I am looking at is in September 2016 so guess no luck for me is this correct?

 

It's for all sailings on or after 8/1/15 except for Anthem which is for sailings after 4/30/16.

[Nabalab]

I'm sailing on Anthem in Fall 2016 - and I can tell that they are getting ready for this sale -

 

Price of my stateroom (that I booked months ago) -

 

Up until 5/19 - $1349

5/19 to 5/26 - $1403

5/26 to 5/27 - $1459

5/27 to 5/29 - $1518

And today it went up to $1580

 

I can still save $$, but who knows in the next few days.

[esspy0620]

Whatever. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

 

If it's a better price, great. Book it.

 

If it's the same price, who cares? If you want to go , book it.

 

If it's a higher price, well, you missed out on the lower price because you didn't book earlier. Sorry. Book it or not. It's up to you.

 

That advice stands whether there are promotions, sales or not. Just book at a total price you are happy with, keep an eye open until final payment for any price drops, and then stop looking (unless you are holding out for a minimal cost upgrade).

 

My son want to wait until a month before the cruise to book because he thinks prices will be lower. We booked 18 months ahead and got a great rate.

Anybody else tried waiting and got a good price? I told him the ship would probably sail without him.

[nelblu]

We may be surprised that this is an actual sale (wink, wink).

[ers26]

My son want to wait until a month before the cruise to book because he thinks prices will be lower. We booked 18 months ahead and got a great rate.

Anybody else tried waiting and got a good price? I told him the ship would probably sail without him.

 

Waiting is a gamble but sometimes it could pay off. My family of 3 is sailing on the Anthem in 3 weeks on a 14 night Mediterranean cruise. We have a D1 cabin that we booked in October of last year. The total cruise price for the D1 cabin today is almost $1,200 less that what it was when we booked back in October. Unfortunately, we are paid in full and can't take advantage of the lower price. I did try calling our TA to see if we could get a deal on an upgrade to a JS but the suites prices haven't really dropped much so not worth it for us.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Me & my DW's next cruise is on the Indy, October 25th, 2015. We were able to get a JS for $1055 (each). Since then the rates have went up as follows...as of today, we were able book this cruise at the lowest priced point since the saildate was released. A 30-30-30 would still not drop the rates to the cruise fare we have secured.

Fare..........Price change dates

$ 1,149 2014‑02‑13 2014‑02‑14

$ 1,179 2014‑02‑14 2014‑02‑15

$ 1,199 2014‑02‑15 2014‑03‑12

$ 1,279 2014‑03‑12 2014‑04‑17

$ 1,407 2014‑04‑17 2014‑04‑19

$ 1,382 2014‑04‑19 2014‑04‑19

$ 1,407 2014‑04‑19 2014‑05‑01

$ 1,055 2014‑05‑01 2014‑05‑08 <------ Booked at this rate

$ 1,213 2014‑05‑08 2014‑05‑22

$ 1,363 2014‑05‑23 2014‑06‑14

$ 1,608 2014‑06‑14 2014‑07‑16

$ 2,144 2014‑07‑16 2014‑07‑25

$ 2,394 2014‑07‑25 2014‑07‑29

$ 1,843 2014‑07‑29 2014‑08‑01

$ 1,795 2014‑08‑01 2014‑09‑16

$ 2,394 2014‑09‑16 2014‑09‑16

$ 1,795 2014‑09‑16 2014‑09‑25

$ 2,394 2014‑09‑25 2014‑09‑25

$ 1,795 2014‑09‑25 2014‑11‑01

$ 2,394 2014‑11‑02 2014‑11‑17

$ 1,795 2014‑11‑17 2015‑01‑20

$ 1,945 2015‑01‑20 2015‑01‑29

$ 1,949 2015‑01‑29 2015‑02‑04

$ 2,046 2015‑02‑04 2015‑02‑21

$ 2,028 2015‑02‑21 2015‑02‑24

$ 2,046 2015‑02‑24 2015‑04‑09

$ 2,144 2015‑04‑09 2015‑05‑01

$ 2,069 2015‑05‑01 2015‑05‑30

 

On the other hand... we also have a cruise on the Adventure, 10-1-16 that we booked a JS for $1215 (each) during the BOGHO50 sale. We recv'd $100 OBC plus 50% off the 2nd premium bev pkge which combined is about $325.

Fares.........Price change dates

$ 1,215 2015‑03‑11 2015‑05‑01 <----- Booked at this rate

$ 1,140 2015‑05‑01 2015‑05‑29

So...if the cruise fare remains the same, a 30-30-30 would drop the rate to $850.50 ea for a savings of $729. But I would lose the 50% off on the 2nd purchase of the premium bev pkg $225 plus the $100 OBC. But we would still come out ahead by $404.

 

I'm one that truly believes booking waaaaay in advance has it's advantages.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Goodtime Cruizin

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Waiting is a gamble but sometimes it could pay off. My family of 3 is sailing on the Anthem in 3 weeks on a 14 night Mediterranean cruise. We have a D1 cabin that we booked in October of last year. The total cruise price for the D1 cabin today is almost $1,200 less that what it was when we booked back in October. Unfortunately, we are paid in full and can't take advantage of the lower price. I did try calling our TA to see if we could get a deal on an upgrade to a JS but the suites prices haven't really dropped much so not worth it for us.

 

Did it drop AFTER final due date?

[EGG]

I can understand that RCCL has tried to stop the stacking of OBC, but to exclude using credits because of a FAKE marketing sale is just another kick in the pants to cruisers and makes knowledgeable cruisers feel they are being gypped.

 

 

It looks like as prices have risen, RCCL is not happy with some of the reward choices with their credit card so they make it financially unrewarding to choose those perks. I no longer use my BOA credit card because of restrictions so I cashed out with on board credit a few years ago.

[grandgeezer]

My son want to wait until a month before the cruise to book because he thinks prices will be lower. We booked 18 months ahead and got a great rate.

Anybody else tried waiting and got a good price? I told him the ship would probably sail without him.

 

We do tranatlantics on Celebrity and always wait until the end. Last April we paid $900 p.p. for a balcony on the 15 day Silhouette ta. In October we paid $1100 p.p. for a conceiarge balcony on the Equinox for 14 days. For both cruises we were able to get Choice Air for about the same price they were six months earlier. We didn't look at any transatlantics this spring. We are booked on the Allure's return to the US in October. Less than $900 p.p. for a D6 balcony. We booked this in January.

The normal cruises have been spotty, I've score some last minute deals and have stayed home because the cruise price didn't drop to what I wanted to pay.

[ers26]

Did it drop AFTER final due date?

 

 

Yes, way beyond final due date. We sail in 3 weeks and the prices started to drop a week or so ago.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Yes, way beyond final due date. We sail in 3 weeks and the prices started to drop a week or so ago.

 

It's my experience, that they NEVER drop below the lowest fare that has been offered for the cruise since the sail date was released. The timing of booking a cruise is everything.

[teecee60]

It's my experience, that they NEVER drop below the lowest fare that has been offered for the cruise since the sail date was released. The timing of booking a cruise is everything.

 

I have not followed RCCL cruises that closely until the last two weeks, but right now an online site has the June 19th sailing of Radiance OTS priced at $454pp ($355pp military) ;)

 

I would be willing to bet it was never priced that low before final payment. :cool:

 

I have taken advantage of late pricing deals for almost all of my cruises. Fares that the vast majority of people absolutely refuse to believe possible, including a 23 night transpacific last fall for only $799pp. :eek:

 

I agree completely that timing is everything when booking a cruise. Later CAN be (but obviously isn't always) significantly less expensive.