cruisegirl1 Posted September 22, 2015 #126 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Airfare isn't even available yet on the one cruise we have booked that requires a flight, so no need to check that prior to hold. I rarely used the hold feature for cruises outside of final payment. I simply paid a refundable deposit, then had plenty of time to do all that other checking. I will miss the 24 hour courtesy hold feature for cruises WITHIN the final payment window. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaritimeR&R Posted September 22, 2015 Author #127 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Perhaps we should start a list of ships not offering a hold. Hi, everyone. As the OP of this thread, my intent was to inform everyone of the phase-in of the new policy and hopefully to create a list of those ship/sailings already affected by the policy. It was not to provide an opportunity for being judgmental, for bashing, or any other unkind comment. Let's try to keep it informative.:)- Sailings/ships known to have no holds: Oasis of the Seas - April 2016 Freedom of the Seas - November 2016 Please add any you come across. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted September 22, 2015 #128 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi, everyone. As the OP of this thread, my intent was to inform everyone of the phase-in of the new policy and hopefully to create a list of those ship/sailings already affected by the policy. It was not to provide an opportunity for being judgmental, for bashing, or any other unkind comment. Let's try to keep it informative.:)- Sailings/ships known to have no holds: Oasis of the Seas - April 2016 Freedom of the Seas - November 2016 Please add any you come across. Thanks. Enchantment of the Seas - November 2015. No Hold button on reservation screen and when I called RCCL to ask permission to place a courtesy hold, my hold request was denied. I did not try to do a hold with my TA. Actually I was under the impression that 24 hour holds were generally no longer available for any reservation regardless of ship or sail date. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marci22 Posted September 22, 2015 #129 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) Sailings/ships known to have no holds: Allure - All Caribbean sailings -no holds. Med sailings -hold allowed, except for one Med sailing that was listed as a 'deal' Enchantment of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Bahamas cruises) Freedom of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises) Oasis of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises) Radiance - Alaska, Australia, Tasmania, Rocky Wilderness Adventure Cruisetour -holds allowed Edited September 22, 2015 by marci22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaritimeR&R Posted September 22, 2015 Author #130 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Enchantment of the Seas - November 2015. No Hold button on reservation screen and when I called RCCL to ask permission to place a courtesy hold, my hold request was denied. I did not try to do a hold with my TA. Actually I was under the impression that 24 hour holds were generally no longer available for any reservation regardless of ship or sail date. M Not all ships/sailings have been affected. It is slowly being phased in, but an earlier poster noted that it seems to be mainly affecting Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. I have not checked that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 22, 2015 #131 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I rarely used the hold feature for cruises outside of final payment. I simply paid a refundable deposit, then had plenty of time to do all that other checking. I will miss the 24 hour courtesy hold feature for cruises WITHIN the final payment window. M I held one once just to keep someone else on CC from getting it. I know, that was bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marci22 Posted September 22, 2015 #132 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) Sailings/ships known to have no holds: Allure - All Caribbean sailings -no holds. Med sailings -hold allowed, except for one Med sailing that was listed as a 'deal' Enchantment of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Bahamas cruises) Freedom of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises) Oasis of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises) Radiance - Alaska, Australia, Tasmania, Rocky Wilderness Adventure Cruisetour -holds allowed ... the Rep I spoke to yesterday (who is holding a cabin for me until tomorrow btw)... Is he holding a Caribbean or Bahamas itinerary? Edited September 22, 2015 by marci22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptSticky Posted September 22, 2015 #133 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Here is an actual example of a hold. Two years ago we were sailing 6 B2B's and had a "waitlist" with Royal for a cabin. Late one night I saw the cabin enter inventory (Royal had failed to pay attention to our waitlist [not the first time that has happened to me]). So I placed a 24 hour hold on it so the TA could call C&A in the morning and fix Royal's error. Some on here have stated that it's not an important enough of a reason (a specific cabin) to have a hold policy in place. I submit that not having to change cabins on a B2B is important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marci22 Posted September 22, 2015 #134 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Here is an actual example of a hold. Two years ago we were sailing 6 B2B's and had a "waitlist" with Royal for a cabin. Late one night I saw the cabin enter inventory (Royal had failed to pay attention to our waitlist [not the first time that has happened to me]). So I placed a 24 hour hold on it so the TA could call C&A in the morning and fix Royal's error. Some on here have stated that it's not an important enough of a reason (a specific cabin) to have a hold policy in place. I submit that not having to change cabins on a B2B is important. There are definitely times when a courtesy hold is very handy. I have used them myself, when my TA was closed and I needed to prove a price drop. Taking them away is annoying, and it will sometimes cause inconvenience, but people who want to grab a cabin can always just put a deposit on it and cancel it later. But not everyone can do this, and it is unfortunate that Royal is taking away this customer convenience (supposedly) because of departmental infighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dall Posted September 22, 2015 #135 Share Posted September 22, 2015 What is the matter with you??? Some of us need to contact our bosses for time off; may want to call family members see if they want to go on the cruise, take a cursory look at airfare. I don't know why you have to be so negative in your response. Agree with you! Sometimes just browsing you might see a good deal even though you had no intentions of booking...you need time to make sure it will all come together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcclfanbp Posted September 22, 2015 #136 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I have "occasionally" used Courtesy Holds when I saw a really good cruise deal but would need time to check with my boss (the wife) to determine if it fits in our budget, travel desires and schedules. Twenty-four hours is usually sufficient since I am no longer employed and have time to research airfare, our budget, etc. I had a Courtesy Hold 3-4 weeks ago but let it lapse the next day because the stock market dropped "significantly" the day I placed the hold (no money no cruise). But I have converted Courtesy Holds to actual reservations, so I will miss this feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted September 22, 2015 #137 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Not all ships/sailings have been affected. It is slowly being phased in, but an earlier poster noted that it seems to be mainly affecting Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. I have not checked that out. Thanks for the info. I'll keep it in mind when researching our next cruise. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karena1 Posted September 22, 2015 #138 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Just tried to do a courtesy hold and did not work. So guess this is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted September 22, 2015 #139 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Sailings/ships known to have no holds: Allure - All Caribbean sailings -no holds. Med sailings -hold allowed, except for one Med sailing that was listed as a 'deal' Enchantment of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Bahamas cruises) Freedom of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises) Oasis of the Seas - All sailings to date (they are all Caribbean cruises) Radiance - Alaska, Australia, Tasmania, Rocky Wilderness Adventure Cruisetour -holds allowed Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 22, 2015 #140 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise. Last I heard, this was only what individuals could select Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda/Ohio Posted September 22, 2015 #141 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Since the holds are all happening electronically I can't imagine why it would be such as issue to maintain this feature for the convenience of the cruisers. It is not as if an employee has to sit down and write each "Courtesy Hold" and then erase it in 24 hours. It is a software program. I did find it a a wonderful courtesy and generally if I made a hold I would be booking a cruise on that ship once I knew the details could be sorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaritimeR&R Posted September 23, 2015 Author #142 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise. I am the OP of this thread, from what I was made to understand, the "no holds" are going fleet wide because of internal departmental issues and the tying up of too much inventory. Given those reasons, it may eventually extend to TA's, but I did not inquire specifically about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marci22 Posted September 23, 2015 #143 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Are you including TAs in this list, or just those who like to book themselves? I only ask because my TA currently has a hold (more than 24 hours) on the Allure for a 2017 Eastern Caribbean cruise. I looked at random sailings online, not TAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 23, 2015 #144 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Are we discussing Travel Agents or TransAtlantic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaritimeR&R Posted September 23, 2015 Author #145 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Are we discussing Travel Agents or TransAtlantic agents...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 23, 2015 #146 Share Posted September 23, 2015 agents...lol That's what I thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted September 23, 2015 #147 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Are we discussing Travel Agents or TransAtlantic Context is everything. A "TransAtlantic" can't possibly have a hold on a Caribbean cruise. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAHA Posted September 23, 2015 #148 Share Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) For those who find a good deal on a Sunday and cannot place a 24 hr. hold anymore, you can always book it through Royal and then transfer it to your TA. Edited September 23, 2015 by MAHA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molly361 Posted September 23, 2015 #149 Share Posted September 23, 2015 And now if you want to book anything with the reduced deposit you will have to do the entire reservation on the phone. In the past I would put a cabin on courtesy hold and just call RCL and pay the reduced deposit amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare John&LaLa Posted September 23, 2015 #150 Share Posted September 23, 2015 And now if you want to book anything with the reduced deposit you will have to do the entire reservation on the phone. In the past I would put a cabin on courtesy hold and just call RCL and pay the reduced deposit amount. What is the reduced deposit? I thought that was only for booking onboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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