Royal Caribbean---DONT BUY EARLY

[BecciBoo]

We are early bookers and are convinced after 23 cruises that most times we cannot save by waiting. With just a couple of exceptions, all our cruises have sold out well ahead of Final or never post a cheaper rate than we got. And I am someone that checks at least once a week sometimes more. Our upcoming Liberty today is exactly 8 dollars less per person but somehow??? the total comes out more than the one on our booking sheet and nothing on the hump where we are now nor on any other location we would consider.

 

I was checking on our Hawaii Legend last May at least once a day just before Final, because we wanted to upgrade to Balc. from Int. But our original rate was so darn cheap($629 per person for 10 nights!), there was no way we could justify it even though the Balc. went to half what they were when we booked. It would have cost us $400 to do so and that will pay for a lot in Hawaii! :D

 

Of course if you have your eye on a prize, like our Celebrity Alaska cruise mid aft deck 9 balc. You cannot wait under any circumstances!!!

Edited October 15, 2015 by BecciBoo

[alfaeric]

It's always a gamble.

 

We've booked super early but got a fare that was way more than $1000pp less expensive than late, and we've booked early to have the fare drop in half.

 

First- at one point in time, what you paid was fine for the vacation- else you would have not booked it. That money has not changed, so, why let your happiness change?

 

Second- post final payments upgrades are available. If the price goes down so much to make you upset- it's likely that you can get more for the money you have paid by getting an upgrade. We got a JS on the Oasis for the same money we had a Boardwalk Balcony booked- awesome upgrade.

 

Instead of being super angry, it's a whole lot easier to know how to work the game. At least it means that my cruise vacation won't be ruined before it even starts.

[Big_G]

Part of the problem is the OP is under the mistaken belief that 5 months out is early.

 

 

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[A&L_Ont]

Part of the problem is the OP is under the mistaken belief that 5 months out is early.

 

 

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I think you nailed it.

[BecciBoo]

:D We booked our 2016 Alaska Solstice November 4, 2014!!!

[CaribSailor]

Really? Your very first post ever to CC is negative?

 

 

The only thing negative about this thread is YOUR post. Have a nice day [emoji106]🏻

[ccletzgo]

MAYBE. But why bother. Just seems to lead to a lot of bitterness on this board. But than again, it might just be bitter people posting!

 

Let it go already.! Jeeze.. who is bitter?

 

Someone came to the internet to vent. I am apologizing to the OP and adding, I agree, its frustrating when fares drop like that. Its good to check prices after final payment because some great upgrades can be offered.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

It doesn't matter if you pay it off before the final due date, you can still get a price reduction as long as the actual due date hasn't passed.

 

Our experience shows this to be correct. Our son pre-paid in full everything for his last cruise to the Mediterrean. He did this before final Due date. The price dropped $900 for the balcony cabin for two and although he was paid in full, they credited his CC the $900.

[rt1092]

It all depends on the personal circumstances. If you have to fly to the port. If there is a low price fare it might cost you a lot more for the airfare.

If you have a job that requires advance notice for vacation time. It might not be feasible to book late.

If you are retired like me and within decent driving distance to most ports. It probably works better to wait. I just booked the Allure B2 balcony 42 days before sailing for $504 pp (before taxes etc). That is way cheaper than any early booking I ever heard of.

[Esmerelda]

If you are retired like me and within decent driving distance to most ports. It probably works better to wait. I just booked the Allure B2 balcony 42 days before sailing for $504 pp (before taxes etc). That is way cheaper than any early booking I ever heard of.

 

 

and yet another reason why we book airfare early then book cruise about a month or so out. Great price!! :D

[alfaeric]

FYI even after the 100% refund date, you can still cancel your cruise and rebook. No idea on your cruise what the fee is, but I have seen price drops of $200 happen just after the final payment date and I took the $100 penalty and rebooked and still saved $100.

 

The 100% refund date is just one deadline. There's other dates from that point until cruise date. I normally do 3-5 day cruises so from days 59-43, you lose your deposit. Most of my deposits are $100 so that's not a big deal.

 

Now, on a 7 day cruise with a $250 deposit, you lose that deposit if you cancel and rebook 74-57 days out. If the price drop is more than $250, do it!

 

Forgot about that- we've done that too. There is a window to actually make the payment for the final payment. Got past it once, and the drop was way more than out deposit- so we let it go, and rebooked.

 

That's one very good reason to make the actual payment when it's due and not early. If one wants to "pay it off"- most banks will let you open a second savings or checking account for things like this- transfer the money over as you can- but just don't pay until it's actually due.

[Thia]

Price doesn't always go down. I got a great deal on my November cruise booking it almost 11 months early. I just checked and my cabin type is no longer available and a guarantee cabin is almost $600 more with less than 30 days to go.

 

I always book early to get the cabin type I want and all my cruises prices have only gone up.

[dacsmom]

I usually do not wait to book a cruise. I booked my Adventure cruise a year and a half ago and the price has doubled. Booking early got me the cabin I want at a price I was willing to pay.

[Wefly9s]

Love the balance of responses, which has been very educational. As a very new cruiser (this is my second), I've learned a lot from many of you experienced seafarers.

 

I work in the hospitality industry as well and at my company, we face constant complaints of a similar nature for which we seek a mutually beneficial resolution regardless of our written policies because if there is one thing that is certain, a satisfied customer is a repeat customer. Conversely, a dissatisfied customer is a social media nightmare.

 

So to those who took my post as bitter, let me try and explain my position a little better...I'm not bitter...my hope was that buying behavior might change for at least a few folks...which may lead to some 20-something analyst at RCCL to spot a trend and perhaps lead to a change in pricing behavior or affinity benefits related to same. There isnt a person I know of who is totally fine with paying a price 15+% higher than they paid for exactly the same product because the provider now wants to sell this perishable product to get some sort of ROI but is fine trapping the customers who have made an earlier investment. I get RCCL's reasoning, I just dont think its a fundamentally sound business model in this type of business with this much competition.

 

Why did I pay 5 months in advance? I didn't really know better. I actually thought it was a sign of loyalty/commitment. But it's pretty clear that its not a good decision going forward. In any case, i will definitely enjoy the cruise and am looking forward to it. For those of you with competitor experience, please share.

 

Mahalo!:)

[sr4mjc]

I usually book very early. And why not, it's only a deposit that I can get back later if needed. I've only had one cruise actually go down after final payment. I see no reason to change my booking habits unless it starts happening consistently. I like aft cabins on Radiance class and those book early. I'm ok even if I end up paying a little bit more for the cabin I prefer.

 

If I want a last minute holiday, I'll just see what is available at the time.

 

Looking forward to 9256 for Thanksgiving. :D

Edited October 17, 2015 by sr4mjc

[A&L_Ont]

Love the balance of responses, which has been very educational. As a very new cruiser (this is my second), I've learned a lot from many of you experienced seafarers.

 

I work in the hospitality industry as well and at my company, we face constant complaints of a similar nature for which we seek a mutually beneficial resolution regardless of our written policies because if there is one thing that is certain, a satisfied customer is a repeat customer. Conversely, a dissatisfied customer is a social media nightmare.

 

So to those who took my post as bitter, let me try and explain my position a little better...I'm not bitter...my hope was that buying behavior might change for at least a few folks...which may lead to some 20-something analyst at RCCL to spot a trend and perhaps lead to a change in pricing behavior or affinity benefits related to same. There isnt a person I know of who is totally fine with paying a price 15+% higher than they paid for exactly the same product because the provider now wants to sell this perishable product to get some sort of ROI but is fine trapping the customers who have made an earlier investment. I get RCCL's reasoning, I just dont think its a fundamentally sound business model in this type of business with this much competition.

 

Why did I pay 5 months in advance? I didn't really know better. I actually thought it was a sign of loyalty/commitment. But it's pretty clear that its not a good decision going forward. In any case, i will definitely enjoy the cruise and am looking forward to it. For those of you with competitor experience, please share.

 

Mahalo!:)

 

Thanks for explain why you paid so early. I would strongly suggest that whoever you cruise with next, that you do not pay in full until final payment is due.

 

It sounds as though you will enjoy yourself when you go. Stick around CC and you will learn some great tips along the way.:)

[mollyeilis]

I have yet to get a price drop at all. Because the cruises we book don't have price drops.

 

If you're going to book late, do NOT track those cruise fares. Because when you watch it go up and up and up, then have a small drop at the end (if there's a drop), you'll KNOW that if you had booked a year or more out you likely would have paid less than by booking at the time of that drop at the end.

 

And if you book earlier, don't check fares after the PIF date.

 

 

 

This is truly no different from airline pricing. There is no way an airline will refund your money if the price drops on an already booked ticket. I'm sorry you have had this negative experience. I hope things improve! :)

 

Alaska and Southwest are happy to give you a credit if the price drops after you book it, and they do so without a fee.

 

Other airlines are often happy to do it, though WITH a fee.

 

 

After all, they held my $4k for 5 months before the sailing...

 

You gave them your money for that long; they didn't ask for it that early. So them having your money two months longer than they wanted it has nothing to do with anything.

 

 

 

Final Payment Date isn't referring to the date that you pay off your balance, it refers to the date that balance is due (usually 60 or 75 days before sail date).

 

Exactly.

 

 

 

Didn't Royal say that they were eliminating price drops after final payment several months back?

 

Nope. They said they wouldn't discount at the last minute. Then went on to define "last minute" as being as close to the cruise as 10 days out. So they could discount it at 11 days from embarkation and NOT consider it to be a "last minute discount".

 

Reading what they actually said is just a little bit different than how people heard it.

 

 

 

Part of the problem is the OP is under the mistaken belief that 5 months out is early.

 

You make a good point.

 

It's early to PIF.

 

It's late to book.

 

 

 

Why did I pay 5 months in advance? I didn't really know better. I actually thought it was a sign of loyalty/commitment. But it's pretty clear that its not a good decision going forward.

 

It's not a good OR bad decision. It just has NOTHING to do with anything. It doesn't get a refund stopped if it's before official PIF date. It doesn't get a refund, either. They are just holding your money when you could have been, for a couple extra months.

[TheInnocentAge]

Love the balance of responses, which has been very educational. As a very new cruiser (this is my second), I've learned a lot from many of you experienced seafarers. In any case, i will definitely enjoy the cruise and am looking forward to it.

 

Mahalo!:)

 

Wefly9s, that's a great attitude to take with you. I've learned a lot from these boards over the past couple of years, and you will too. Have a great cruise!

 

Bill

[Thetrail]

Mostly good responses and thanks for the feedback. I was disappointed with RCCL's lack of attempt to do anything...not even a discount coupon to a specialty restaurant. After all, they held my $4k for 5 months before the sailing which is what you'd think they would try to incentivize (if you're familiar with TVM you'll understand). Like conandrob240 noted, I'd be fine with paying a little more for a price guarantee and be done with it. BTW, the only reason I saw the price drop after the fact was because my brother in law got interested in getting on the same cruise and I did the research for him. AND...I was looking at a 7 day Western Mediterranean cruise on Harmony in 2016 for which I ALMOST made the deposit until I realized it was better not to. In any case, because I have travel flexibility, I wont make the same mistake again.

Anyone have thoughts on other cruise lines? I've only cruised RCCL thus far but am willing to give others a shot at my yearly cruise business. Thanks.

your post is not only wrong about booking early, but it's kind of amusing also. You again look after final payment, your right to do so, but the whining and moaning because you didn't get a lower price is your fault and yours alone. If your not happy with the price you booked originally wait, if the price you book by waiting happens to be higher( which is HIGHLY possible) will you whine and moan for that also?....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Biker19]

LI just don't think its a fundamentally sound business model in this type of business with this much competition.

 

 

And yet that's the way it has been for several years, RCI stock is at an all time high and bookings are solid with higher fares. You may not like it and you might think it shouldn't work, but it does.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Biker19

[iuki]

I find your strategy wrong for my likings. In fact, if you bought at 5 months out from sailing date, IMO you most likely bought too late and your cruise fare was most likely priced at prime or high cruise fares. I find that you either book extremely early or extremely late. I only book cruises early. I have three cruises booked and each of them were booked 18 months or earlier of the cruise dates. There hasn't been a price drop yet that has effected my cruise fares. And mostly won't ever be. We're finally taking one of these cruises on the 25th of this month and the current 'after final payment date' is still $1600 higher than what we booked for the two of us.

 

We do the same thing. Right now we have a cruise booked in Dec 2016 and two cruises booked in March & April 2017. First of all, I need a handicapped room because I have a mobility scooter that I need. Also, if the price goes down, I call and have the price adjusted. The day before final payment is due, I call to see if there is any price adjustment available before I make the final payment. Believe it or not, we usually get at least one price reduction by the time we make final payment. It is always a gamble if you wait until after the final payment date.

[iuki]

Our experience shows this to be correct. Our son pre-paid in full everything for his last cruise to the Mediterrean. He did this before final Due date. The price dropped $900 for the balcony cabin for two and although he was paid in full, they credited his CC the $900.

 

This happened to my sister-in-law who shared a room with my daughter. My SIL paid early and they credited the balance on my daughter's account. My daughter just wrote a check to her aunt for the reduced amount.

 

Also, I had just made my final payment when my daughter (2 hours later) told me that there had just been a price reduction. I called RCCL and they credited my charge card for the reduced amount.

 

Apparently, timing and the representative make all the difference in the world.

[rt1092]

As far as watching prices after final payment date goes. We booked our 5 night Indy cruise after final payment date. At a great rate for a inside guarantee. They assigned our cabins decent location. I kept watching their site and saw a balcony guarantee. For only $100 more total per cabin. So I called and upgraded.

Edited October 17, 2015 by rt1092

[orville99]

If I had followed the OP's advice, the next three cruises in my reservations list would have cost me a collective ~$7,200 more if I were to book them today instead of booking them the day the itineraries were first released for booking:eek:

 

The best one is our NYE cruise on Brilliance this year. Now past final payment date, and the price on a JS has dropped from what it was just before final payment date - Woo Hoo - it's now only $3,032 more than we paid

Edited October 17, 2015 by orville99

[The Sunset Glow]

In my experience of watching cruise prices the fares at the 5 to 6 months before sailing are at peak prices. We book early and early is not 5 to 6 months before it's at least 1.5 years prior. I've never received a price drop, in fact every single cruise I have booked is almost double or more than what I paid.

 

Most new cruisers I speak to don't realize this - they think 5 to 6 months is early. I convinced a co-worker who really wanted to try cruising to book on Harmony last June for a feb 2017 cruise because the price was really great at that time for a new ship - she thought I was crazy at first but did it as I told her she could cancel or get the price reductions, so no risk. Right now her cruise fare is up about 75% from what she paid and she's thanking me now:p

 

We are all gaining experience and learning new things every time we cruise and sometime we, unfortunately, we learn things the hard way. Heck, I didn't even know we could get price drops the first few time we cruised:cool: