MAD as a Wet Hen

[wolfganghowell]

BUT when the CEO tells the media that this sort of sale concept is not longer going to be offered I believed him.

 

That was your first mistake. ;) What???? A corporate executive did not follow through on a "promise". :eek:

 

I'm sorry it didn't work in your favor but the entire concept is supply and demand. Also - your final due date is not the same as everyone else's. I know on every cruise I've been on people have had different due dates - it just so happened to hit 24 hours after yours.

 

I'm at about 90% increase after final payment. The 10% I saw decreases, I was able to upgrade for a great price. One time I moved from a JS to a GS for only $300 total. Keep checking - maybe you will find a way to get a better room for a price you find acceptable. But I don't think you should be "mad as a wet hen." It's standard business practice - i don't think too many of us around here really believed they wouldn't continue making price adjustments.

[TomAceEsq]

As someone who has only taken a couple cruises and only has one future cruise booked, I'm curious as to why anyone would look at the cost of something after final payment date. Knowing full well that they won't honor price drops after that date, what's the point of checking? Apples to oranges, but I don't buy something else online, then continuously check for price drops so I can get angry at something I have absolutely no control over.

 

I understand checking before final payment date, but after? Is it only for upgrade potential?

Edited September 23, 2015 by TomAceEsq

[Doggielover68]

Keep in mind that people who book at the last minute may save more than you did on the cruise, but will have to pay more for flights to get there. I understand that it is frustrating but peace of mind can come at a price.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[mollyeilis]

 

I believe the OP understands a rule is a rule is a rule! What she can't understand is that why the CEO is reneging on his promise that there will be no wholesale price dropping to move vacant cabins at the last minute.

 

But this isn't the last minute. "Last minute" was defined in the CEO's statement that was quoted. This isn't even 40 days out, let alone 10.

[SheehanDJ]

1. Forget getting money back, its not going to happen.

 

2. If you are a C&A member try that line of attack too.

 

3. Try to get something, ideally a dollar for dollar thing, but realistically I think you would be doing great if you got 50% of the difference. If it were me, I'd be looking for $300 worth of something that would be relatively painless for them to give away.

 

This is a negotiation at this point, negotiate. Don't ask for a free drink package ask for a 25%-50% discount on a drink package. Same with the specialty restaurants ask for a 25%-50% discount. Those things hold a dollar value to RCCL but not near what giving you $600 back does. If it at all interested you ask for 4 free behind the scenes tours (then settle for 2), that would cost you $600 if you bought it but in reality costs RCL little to nothing as the tour is happening anyway, as long as it isn't full or wait listed already.

 

4. Be painfully civil to them. Calmly explain your side, calmly point out the CEO's statement. Tell them you are a loyal customer, and you plan to continue being a loyal customer.

 

5. It was pointed out the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Maybe, maybe not. But honey always draws more flies than vinegar.

Edited September 23, 2015 by SheehanDJ
forgot #5

[corts2c]

So sorry this has happened to you. It is frustrating to see that much of a difference. Did you use a credit card to make your final payment? I think one of mine(Citi card??) has a benefit called "Price Protection" and it gives you the difference if you find a lower price within 90 days of purchase. Not sure if it would work on cruises though...Worth a look?

[whitshel]

So sorry this has happened to you. It is frustrating to see that much of a difference. Did you use a credit card to make your final payment? I think one of mine(Citi card??) has a benefit called "Price Protection" and it gives you the difference if you find a lower price within 90 days of purchase. Not sure if it would work on cruises though...Worth a look?

 

The cruise was booked 180 days ago. There is no price protection for that.

[kalliekae]

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand why people keep looking at prices. You made final payment. Period. You booked the cruise you wanted, when you wanted, and the cabin you wanted. Why would you think Royal owes you something just because they are now having a sale? They're in business to make as much money as possible and Royal is no different than any other company. Go and enjoy your cruise!

[love2cruise56]

Family vacation booked on the Allure for Dec 6th this year. Paid final deposit yesterday. TODAY less than 24hrs RCI offering a GGG sale.....saving per cabin $600! I called and was told Too Bad.....the rules are the rules are the rules. Not very happy. Really put a sale out like that less then 24 hours after final date?

 

 

The do that from time to time.

[2thesea]

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand why people keep looking at prices. You made final payment. Period. You booked the cruise you wanted, when you wanted, and the cabin you wanted. Why would you think Royal owes you something just because they are now having a sale? They're in business to make as much money as possible and Royal is no different than any other company. Go and enjoy your cruise!

 

In this case I was not searching after final payment but rather had another family member that wanted to sail with us and asked what the cost would be. So much to my surprise when I check and saw the price drop. We have 9 cabins booked on this cruise, all balconies 3 D8 and the rest D3's We can't upgrade because ALL the open categories that we could upgrade to are offering the GGG rate which we can't use :( We are all past guests - 2 Diamond+ 2 Diamond and the remaining all Gold (Diamond after this cruise).

 

I checked all the pricing before I paid the final payment and nothing was there until Midnight (it seems).

 

I have spoken to several folks at guest relations and 2 supervisors in the Solutions department. Nothing they can do. I explained that I understand that a refund is not possible but asked for anything…..something and their reply was sorry.

 

1 of the cabins that has had a decrease is a handicap accessible cabin that has been booked for longer than a year. This is a must have cabin and we booked early to make sure we had it. I was willing to take the hit on that cabin. But the 8 other cabins nothing special about them.

 

I am saddened that RCI offered nothing not even a bottle of wine. Nothing. Yes the rules are the rules are the rules BUT so is saving chairs at the pool.

[harlekuin]

Remaining Gold (Diamond after this cruise)?

 

I think we skipped Platinum and Emerald in there somewhere.

[2thesea]

Remaining Gold (Diamond after this cruise)?

 

I think we skipped Platinum and Emerald in there somewhere.

 

Sorry…..the remaining are Emerald….got my cruise lines mixed up :D

[yankees111]

Booking a cruise after the final payment due date may be cheaper in some instances but airfare may be higher the closer to sail date too. The bottom line is the OP booked a cruise at a price they were comfortable paying. The cruise could have gone up in price just as easily.

[cookmg40]

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand why people keep looking at prices. You made final payment. Period. You booked the cruise you wanted, when you wanted, and the cabin you wanted. Why would you think Royal owes you something just because they are now having a sale? They're in business to make as much money as possible and Royal is no different than any other company. Go and enjoy your cruise!

 

It always pays to check pricing. 1 week after final payment, my suite pricing dropped $1800 per cabin. I was at the $500 cancellation point. RC honored the price drop but deducted the $500 cancellation fee. I got a refund of $1300 and am working with my group coordinator to (hopefully) get some OBC to offset the $500 fee. Probably won't happen but I am happy with the refund I got!

[Host Star]

We booked almost a year ago. Paid $2375 for a D8 - it now pricing @ $2075 for a D6 on GGG

 

most travel agents collect final payment earlier than the crusielines deadline for final payment... for example I paid final payment last week.. few days later my cabin dropped 500.00 I called ta and told them I new final was not due to the cruiseline yet so I would like a credit... they said my final hadn't been processed yet so they would bill me at the new lower rate.. so from my experience I would find out when the agent sent in (if they even did it yet) the final payment...

[robtulipe]

Keep in mind that people who book at the last minute may save more than you did on the cruise, but will have to pay more for flights to get there. I understand that it is frustrating but peace of mind can come at a price.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Booking a cruise after the final payment due date may be cheaper in some instances but airfare may be higher the closer to sail date too. The bottom line is the OP booked a cruise at a price they were comfortable paying. The cruise could have gone up in price just as easily.

 

Actually we've found we get our air fares at a very good price 8 to 10 weeks out which matches nicely with the cruises we've booked after the final payment date which is pretty well most of the cruises we do.

We booked our next month B2B Freedom cruises at an unbelievable price about 6 weeks ago and got our non-stop return flights between Buffalo and Orlando on Southwest for $235 each and with SW there is no luggage fees for the first two bags each. It could have been $30 cheaper each but we opted for an earlier flight going down on the same day prior, so we would arrive at the same time as our friends were arriving from California as we are sharing a rental car to our hotel and Port Canaveral.

In fact we are considering added a third cruise after these two, this one out of Pt. Everglades, as we can change our return flight to come back from there at an increased cost of only $22 each.

Last January while on Navigator we booked our Over the Top Australia Radiance cruise for the end of February, also at a great price and got our Toronto, Canada to Sydney, NSW return from Perth, WA for just over $1500US each which is an excellent price for air to and return from the opposite side of the world from where we live.

Booked both of our Serenade TA cruises last year late and got our flights between Buffalo, Barcelona and New Orleans for just over $600 each per cruise.

Edited September 24, 2015 by robtulipe

[shipshape sam]

Family vacation booked on the Allure for Dec 6th this year. Paid final deposit yesterday. TODAY less than 24hrs RCI offering a GGG sale.....saving per cabin $600! I called and was told Too Bad.....the rules are the rules are the rules. Not very happy. Really put a sale out like that less then 24 hours after final date?

 

Like others have said, that is the typical game. Even with Fain indicating less discounting, he still indicated they would discount. It is a business and we all know the rules they play by. If sales were strong and few cancellations at final payment for your specific sailing, you would have been happy with your price I think. I would suggest looking at it this way, some got a better deal than you and most likely someone who booked after you and prior to final payment paid more than you.

 

For us, we have decided unless we really want a specific cabin OR are going on an exotic itinerary where we are real comfortable with booking really way ahead, then we plan to book after final payment and within 60 days. We can do this only because we can drive to FL ports and it may not work for everyone.

 

We also have been doing a lot of 'land' based trips. Just came back from long week-ends in Washington DC and Nashville, TN. Next up is another land based trip where we would have in past considered a cruise.

 

I do miss cruising, but we have drawn our line in the sand. We understand the rules in general AND they can change the rules anytime they want as it is their company. We can react.

Edited September 24, 2015 by shipshape sam

[conandrob240]

Booking a cruise after the final payment due date may be cheaper in some instances but airfare may be higher the closer to sail date too. The bottom line is the OP booked a cruise at a price they were comfortable paying. The cruise could have gone up in price just as easily.

 

This is a game that can easily be played if you live close to a port. I've been burned twice now on large price drops in the NYc market. NCL made it up to me with OBC. RCCL won't do a darn thing.

[Husky1987]

I get wanting to pay less and get a better deal and yes, it sure would be nice if in this situation we could get some satisfaction....but the bottom line is that 48 hours ago you were more than likely very happy with the price you paid for all these cabins.

 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news....but that car you're driving to work every day? I'm willing to bet someone else is driving around in the same exact model and paid $1000 less than you did.

 

That airline seat you're going to sit in to get to the cruise? I bet someone paid less than you did to sit a row behind you. Same with the hotel you're staying in the night before the cruise.

 

The next cruise you take....whichever cruise line it is? I bet someone is going to pay less than you or get their gratuities paid or get more OBC for the cabin right next door.

 

It happens every day. If we're willing to pull the trigger on a cruise, we better feel that cruise is worth the price we're paying. If it's not, or we're hoping to get a discount later, we should find something else.

[Doggielover68]

Actually we've found we get our air fares at a very good price 8 to 10 weeks out which matches nicely with the cruises we've booked after the final payment date which is pretty well most of the cruises we do.

 

We booked our next month B2B Freedom cruises at an unbelievable price about 6 weeks ago and got our non-stop return flights between Buffalo and Orlando on Southwest for $235 each and with SW there is no luggage fees for the first two bags each. It could have been $30 cheaper each but we opted for an earlier flight going down on the same day prior, so we would arrive at the same time as our friends were arriving from California as we are sharing a rental car to our hotel and Port Canaveral.

 

In fact we are considering added a third cruise after these two, this one out of Pt. Everglades, as we can change our return flight to come back from there at an increased cost of only $22 each.

 

Last January while on Navigator we booked our Over the Top Australia Radiance cruise for the end of February, also at a great price and got our Toronto, Canada to Sydney, NSW return from Perth, WA for just over $1500US each which is an excellent price for air to and return from the opposite side of the world from where we live.

 

Booked both of our Serenade TA cruises last year late and got our flights between Buffalo, Barcelona and New Orleans for just over $600 each per cruise.

 

 

It all depends on the time of year and where you are flying from. For us it would be expensive to fly anywhere last minute as our current city only has one airline. Also we tend to travel closer to the holidays so last minute airfare would be extra costly. I'm a Buffalo native too by the way. Go Bills!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Merion_Mom]

Family vacation booked on the Allure for Dec 6th this year. Paid final deposit yesterday. TODAY less than 24hrs RCI offering a GGG sale.....saving per cabin $600! I called and was told Too Bad.....the rules are the rules are the rules. Not very happy. Really put a sale out like that less then 24 hours after final date?

 

It's not there, 2thesea. :confused: :confused:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Multi_Dest/Special_Offers/rci_sales_event.pdf

[Merion_Mom]

In this case I was not searching after final payment but rather had another family member that wanted to sail with us and asked what the cost would be. So much to my surprise when I check and saw the price drop. We have 9 cabins booked on this cruise, all balconies 3 D8 and the rest D3's We can't upgrade because ALL the open categories that we could upgrade to are offering the GGG rate which we can't use :( We are all past guests - 2 Diamond+ 2 Diamond and the remaining all Gold (Diamond after this cruise).

 

I checked all the pricing before I paid the final payment and nothing was there until Midnight (it seems).

 

I have spoken to several folks at guest relations and 2 supervisors in the Solutions department. Nothing they can do. I explained that I understand that a refund is not possible but asked for anything…..something and their reply was sorry.

 

1 of the cabins that has had a decrease is a handicap accessible cabin that has been booked for longer than a year. This is a must have cabin and we booked early to make sure we had it. I was willing to take the hit on that cabin. But the 8 other cabins nothing special about them.

 

I am saddened that RCI offered nothing not even a bottle of wine. Nothing. Yes the rules are the rules are the rules BUT so is saving chairs at the pool.

 

Each cabin can carry on two 750 ml bottles of wine. :D There's your wine. Much better than anything that RC may offer. MUCH.

[Biker19]

I checked all the pricing before I paid the final payment and nothing was there until Midnight (it seems).

 

 

Would you have felt better if the sale happened next month? Or if you heard someone on board got a better price than you?

 

As been said by many, all lines have some variation of this process - no refunds after final payment.

 

Also as has been mentioned, you have to parse the CEO's comments to understand what it really meant and how it has translated in the real world. To the stockholders it meant: our revenue will go up. To the cruisers it meant: we will try not to piss you off too much but we will still lower prices to fill cabins.:cool:

[Zou Bisou Bisou]

While I feel for you OP, think about the people that booked at a much HIGHER rate than you paid. Did they say when they booked, if only I had booked 6 months ago I would have saved $1,200.00. Maybe they are saying it but they know they have no claim to it. Be happy with what you have and enjoy your cruise.

[marci22]

It always pays to check pricing. 1 week after final payment, my suite pricing dropped $1800 per cabin. I was at the $500 cancellation point. RC honored the price drop but deducted the $500 cancellation fee.

 

A very good reason to keep checking. Same thing happened to us a few years ago on a 5 night Bermuda. They wouldn't give me any refunds so I just cancelled both rooms and rebooked. I paid $100 pp to cancel but I still saved about $600. (I was in the deposit only penalty phase)

Edited September 24, 2015 by marci22