Royal and their false advertisement. Read before you book

[GINNY L]

I have sailed with Royal about ten times. When I booked a cruise it stated getting the second person half off. When I did not get the half off I called up to inquire about it. They said it did not refer to the cruise I booked. So I sent them a video of the step by step on their website which clearly states that it qualifies. Their response was they made an advertising error

 

Since my cruise is not until next August I thought about looking into it again since they have the bogo going on. Well I selected different cruise, different ships and they all falsely advertise. For example, a cruise on Liberty next April for a superior balcony is $1143 a person and you get he second person half off. Well if you look at the total for the charges it is not half off. But if you look at the summary of charges they changed the amount from $1143 a person to $1409 a person which is $266 more a person then the price that is stated. Then they take half off the falsely increased amount of the second person. Therefore, you are pretty much paying for the whole amount.

 

I am really tired of the false advertisement. I hope more people really look at the prices and the so called discount before they book. Royal should not get away with this practice.

[Worn out mailman]

Yes, most readers here are probably aware that the price is jacked up before the bogo. And yes, it's frustrating and it sort of insults one's intelligence. Unfortunately, the bait and switch ( in this case switch then bait) seems to be the accepted norm in business nowadays.

[Ken at the beach]

They have improved the website since this first launched over a year ago.

 

On the screen with the prices it now says "from". It also gives the "Was" price and the average savings per passenger that when you do the math it is 50% off the second guest or 25% off pp. As mostly everyone knows they did raise their prices after the initial launch of this promotion. Check out pricing on the Harmony in 2017. There are still lots of good deals available.

 

Hardly false advertising.

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[FloatMe]

I have sailed with Royal about ten times. When I booked a cruise it stated getting the second person half off. When I did not get the half off I called up to inquire about it. They said it did not refer to the cruise I booked. So I sent them a video of the step by step on their website which clearly states that it qualifies. Their response was they made an advertising error

 

Since my cruise is not until next August I thought about looking into it again since they have the bogo going on. Well I selected different cruise, different ships and they all falsely advertise. For example, a cruise on Liberty next April for a superior balcony is $1143 a person and you get he second person half off. Well if you look at the total for the charges it is not half off. But if you look at the summary of charges they changed the amount from $1143 a person to $1409 a person which is $266 more a person then the price that is stated. Then they take half off the falsely increased amount of the second person. Therefore, you are pretty much paying for the whole amount.

 

I am really tired of the false advertisement. I hope more people really look at the prices and the so called discount before they book. Royal should not get away with this practice.

 

I understand your frustration with the endless red herring sales. It would be nice if we were given the actual price of our cruises without all the financial gymnastics and gimmicks. But I believe we, the consumer, are as much to blame as RCCL. We have this incessant desire to feel like we are getting a deal, so from a marketing point of view I get it.

 

I do disagree with our however on the false advertising. And in fact I appreciate the fact that when I go to the web site , I am looking at the "average price per person after the discount has been applied". That leaves the gymnastics to those better suited for it.

 

It was my understanding that there would be no math.

[GINNY L]

The $1143 that is stated per person for a superior balcony is the highest price listed. However, when you click on the area where it states view summary of charges it shows $1409 per person. Both prices are without the taxes. If that is not false advertising, since you are not getting the second person half off since they raised the amounts of each person to a different amount to cover the so called half off at check out, then what would you call it?

[FloatMe]

I wish it were more clearly stated, but I don't feel like I am being tricked. I understood that the prices shown throughout the process are the already discounted average price per person. Where is there disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

 

 

[bigboffs]

It is often referred to as the BOGOHOAX

[FloatMe]

WOW, that didn't work very well! Here is what is says

 

*Prices are average per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy, reflect promotional savings (if any), for new individual bookings, are subject to change and availability.

Taxes, fees and port expenses are subject to change.

Additional terms and conditions apply to offers; click on the respective link for offer details.

[cruisenfever]

It's not False Advertising but rather very Creative Booking.:D

 

Seriously, we were able to take advantage of the BOGOHO on several of our future cruises where we saved a substantial amount when totaled together.

Edited July 19, 2015 by cruisenfever

[TheTruthCanHurt]

I guess the shame of it is, Most of us that sail Royal often are well aware of all of their misleading sales and yes the "BOGO HOAX".

But unfortunately in many business's it is all to common.

 

I live in northern california where we have a department store called Kohls ( which I actually really like). Many times a year they do this thing where if you spend "x" amount of money they give you kohls cash. Which is basically fake money you can use..

 

Now... here is the catch. the Kohls catch is only good on very specific dates. And the night before the sale they take their discounted prices and raise them back to retail, so by using your cash you are pretty much getting right back to their everyday prices. LOL

 

it's the old bait and switcheroo. Same thing Royal does on a daily basis. One day it's the bogo, the next it's the 72 hour super sale, the next it's the 4th of july thing. OR mysterious on board credit.

 

I think their play is "perceived value" and they just confuse the consumer "especially infrequent cruisers" to the point where they just accept it.

 

But it's very frustrating for sure.

[rudeney]

I have just become totally numb to "sales", whether it's buying a cruise, electronics, groceries or cars. All retailers manipulate advertised prices to entice consumers to buy. If the price fits my budget and seems competitively fair, then I'll buy, regardless of how the advertisement is presented.

[karmacats]

The $1143 that is stated per person for a superior balcony is the highest price listed. However, when you click on the area where it states view summary of charges it shows $1409 per person. Both prices are without the taxes. If that is not false advertising, since you are not getting the second person half off since they raised the amounts of each person to a different amount to cover the so called half off at check out, then what would you call it?

 

The $1143 already includes the discount. So when you go further in the booking, the price shows at $1409, but then when the discount is applied you're back to the $1143 price. Long story short, the discount isn't off the originally-shown price, but rather the originally-shown price already includes the discount.

 

I don't think it's false advertising, but it is tricky. i don't know why royal feels the need to go through the charade, when in the end you're going to see the actual price, and then decide whether it's worth it or not.

[duncan449]

The $1143 already includes the discount. So when you go further in the booking, the price shows at $1409, but then when the discount is applied you're back to the $1143 price. Long story short, the discount isn't off the originally-shown price, but rather the originally-shown price already includes the discount.

 

I don't think it's false advertising, but it is tricky. i don't know why royal feels the need to go through the charade, when in the end you're going to see the actual price, and then decide whether it's worth it or not.

 

In January I booked our Alaska cruise through one of the bogo deals and called because the prices kept changing during booking and this is how it was explained to me as well. When I added everything up both ways we did end up saving money, but in the end we were going to book the cruise whether we saved $400 or not.

[Wilson]

Don't look for the BOGOHOax to go away anytime soon. Obviously it's working so they will continue to promote it. Unfortunately those new to RCI's smoke and mirror sales think they are getting an amazing deal. :(

[iuki]

The $1143 already includes the discount. So when you go further in the booking, the price shows at $1409, but then when the discount is applied you're back to the $1143 price. Long story short, the discount isn't off the originally-shown price, but rather the originally-shown price already includes the discount.

 

I don't think it's false advertising, but it is tricky. i don't know why royal feels the need to go through the charade, when in the end you're going to see the actual price, and then decide whether it's worth it or not.

 

That was a very clear explanation of how it works. I just booked onboard and a few weeks later they advertised Bogo. I called and they rebooked the cruise with the Bogo rate and we got an additional discount. On previous cruises, I continually checked new promotions and always got the additional discount unless it states new bookings only. A rep once told me that the computer computes all the different ways with your specific eligible discounts and it will come up with the cheapest price.

[love2cruise56]

I have sailed with Royal about ten times. When I booked a cruise it stated getting the second person half off. When I did not get the half off I called up to inquire about it. They said it did not refer to the cruise I booked. So I sent them a video of the step by step on their website which clearly states that it qualifies. Their response was they made an advertising error

 

Since my cruise is not until next August I thought about looking into it again since they have the bogo going on. Well I selected different cruise, different ships and they all falsely advertise. For example, a cruise on Liberty next April for a superior balcony is $1143 a person and you get he second person half off. Well if you look at the total for the charges it is not half off. But if you look at the summary of charges they changed the amount from $1143 a person to $1409 a person which is $266 more a person then the price that is stated. Then they take half off the falsely increased amount of the second person. Therefore, you are pretty much paying for the whole amount.

 

 

 

I know what you are saying. They will raise the price when they give you a deal. Three words Class Action Lawsuit.

[nacdcruiser]

I have sailed with Royal about ten times. When I booked a cruise it stated getting the second person half off. When I did not get the half off I called up to inquire about it. They said it did not refer to the cruise I booked. So I sent them a video of the step by step on their website which clearly states that it qualifies. Their response was they made an advertising error

 

Since my cruise is not until next August I thought about looking into it again since they have the bogo going on. Well I selected different cruise, different ships and they all falsely advertise. For example, a cruise on Liberty next April for a superior balcony is $1143 a person and you get he second person half off. Well if you look at the total for the charges it is not half off. But if you look at the summary of charges they changed the amount from $1143 a person to $1409 a person which is $266 more a person then the price that is stated. Then they take half off the falsely increased amount of the second person. Therefore, you are pretty much paying for the whole amount.

 

I am really tired of the false advertisement. I hope more people really look at the prices and the so called discount before they book. Royal should not get away with this practice.

 

. . . excused . . . explained . . . you are correct.

 

The decision at this point is do you accept the deception. Many of us do - but personally, we have a small business and could not survive if this were our mode of operation.

 

We've learned not to have very high expectations from others - only ourselves.

 

John

[pcur]

We've had many people on this board complain about this, but once a person understands the pricing shown is the AVERAGE AFTER the BOGOHO has been calculated, then why complain? I mean, the price is what it is at the bottom line.

 

Many, many people thought the price shown was supposed to have the half-off calculated from that as the base price, but it's not. So, now we know (again) it's showing the after discount average price.

 

There's no false increase of the 2nd person's price if the shown price is an average. The detailed pricing (the pop-up summary box) just shows you how they came to the final price.

 

I don't see why all the angst about this.

 

I, like Patti above, got some great prices for several cruises with the BOGOHO pricing. The most recent started out at $726 per person, I got $268 off the second person, and after taxes/fees it's $679 per person.

[StolidCruiser]

 

I know what you are saying. They will raise the price when they give you a deal. Three words Class Action Lawsuit.

 

Good luck with that.

[pcur]

I know what you are saying. They will raise the price when they give you a deal. Three words Class Action Lawsuit.

 

Well, then the lawsuits need to be filed against all cruise lines, because they all do this. I've seen it with RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara, Princess, and HAL. Since I don't price watch other cruise lines I don't know if they do it, too, but I'll take an uneducated guess that they do, too.

[grammax3]

The $1143 that is stated per person for a superior balcony is the highest price listed. However, when you click on the area where it states view summary of charges it shows $1409 per person. Both prices are without the taxes. If that is not false advertising, since you are not getting the second person half off since they raised the amounts of each person to a different amount to cover the so called half off at check out, then what would you call it?

 

Were the cabins priced from $1143 to1409 per person? If they were, the higher price one was selected, you could change cabins and see if the price is different. I didn't have a problem with my guarantee, it was the price listed and the second was half off.

[rusty nut]

In my opinion, it's not false advertising. Obviously, that would be illegal and RCI has been doing it for years without repercussions. In reality, all of the data you need to get your price is right there in black and white. It's all there. Royal even details how they arrive at the final price, no manipulation. Difficult to understand? Certainly, but all you need to know is there.

[icsys]

I have sailed with Royal about ten times. When I booked a cruise it stated getting the second person half off. When I did not get the half off I called up to inquire about it. They said it did not refer to the cruise I booked. So I sent them a video of the step by step on their website which clearly states that it qualifies. Their response was they made an advertising error....

 

If the first paragraph of the OP's post (quoted above) is factually correct, and RCI did state it was an error, then the advertisement for BOGOHO on the booked cruise was NOT TRUE. What else can it be then other than FALSE?

 

Granted, it was an error, but is subsequently lead to false advertising of that particular cruise.

[2wheelin]

The way it is currently done makes most sense and easier to compare without going through all the hoops of fake booking. They tell you the average per person and you multiply by the number of people you have. Add taxes and you have a total. Most anyone can do that in their head without all the extra clicks to get there and then back out again.

Hotels do a similar thing when you search for more than one night and the prices are different on the individual days, they tell you the average per night and you calculate (or they also include) the total.

Raising the base price for a sale is an entirely different matter. But if you know what the presale AVERAGE PER PERSON rate was it makes it very simple to campare to the new average per person.

[asj439]

I have sailed with Royal about ten times. When I booked a cruise it stated getting the second person half off. When I did not get the half off I called up to inquire about it. They said it did not refer to the cruise I booked. So I sent them a video of the step by step on their website which clearly states that it qualifies. Their response was they made an advertising error

 

Since my cruise is not until next August I thought about looking into it again since they have the bogo going on. Well I selected different cruise, different ships and they all falsely advertise. For example, a cruise on Liberty next April for a superior balcony is $1143 a person and you get he second person half off. Well if you look at the total for the charges it is not half off. But if you look at the summary of charges they changed the amount from $1143 a person to $1409 a person which is $266 more a person then the price that is stated. Then they take half off the falsely increased amount of the second person. Therefore, you are pretty much paying for the whole amount.

 

I am really tired of the false advertisement. I hope more people really look at the prices and the so called discount before they book. Royal should not get away with this practice.

 

Its not false advertising if you are still getting bogo50% on the "going" rate. Royal Caribbean has the right change their pricing to whatever they want. Royal Caribbean is going to change their pricing to whatever they need to at least break even. Their crew wages, fuel, food, are all fixed costs each sailing and they want to fill as many rooms as possible to off set these costs. Using marketing tatics to lure people in thinking they are getting a deal, and in most cases are. I had booked anthem before the bogo50% and saw that it went down when they allowed bogo on my sailing so I got it adjusted.