What is the benefit of booking another cruise onboard?

[Susiecruisey]

What if anything do you get extra for booking on board?

[Clarea]

What if anything do you get extra for booking on board?

Reduced deposit and on board credit:

 

Booking a specific cruise

-------------------------

 

•5-7 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $50

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $100

◦Grand Suite and above: $200

 

•8-10 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $100

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $150

◦Grand Suite and above: $300

 

•11-14 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $150

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $200

◦Grand Suite and above: $400

 

•15 nights or longer cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $200

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $250

◦Grand Suite and above: $500

 

Open Booking

------------

5-7 nights; $25

8-10 nights: $50

11-14 nights: $75

15+ nights: $100

 

When you book a specific cruise, your deposit is equal to the on board credit amount. You can choose to take the on board credit immediately, or on the future cruise.

Edited December 29, 2015 by clarea

[Susiecruisey]

Reduced deposit and on board credit:

 

Booking a specific cruise

-------------------------

 

•5-7 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $50

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $100

◦Grand Suite and above: $200

 

•8-10 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $100

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $150

◦Grand Suite and above: $300

 

•11-14 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $150

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $200

◦Grand Suite and above: $400

 

•15 nights or longer cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $200

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $250

◦Grand Suite and above: $500

 

Open Booking

------------

5-7 nights; $25

8-10 nights: $50

11-14 nights: $75

15+ nights: $100

 

When you book a specific cruise, your deposit is equal to the on board credit amount. You can choose to take the on board credit immediately, or on the future cruise.

 

 

Is the depsoit an obc pp or per cabin

[aftop]

OBC is per cabin. I recently booked three cabins for Oct. 2016 while on board the Oasis. The deposit was $100.00 for each cabin and I received an immediate $300.00 OBC posted on my account.

[tingyyy]

Technically not an extra, but when i booked onboard the fare quoted was about 500 SGD (or about 350 USD) lower PER PAX than if i had booked via RCCL's website. Plus the fare included prepaid gratuities which again, wouldnt have been included had i booked online. And on top of that, the obc mentioned by clarea. Pretty good deal!

 

Hopefully the more seasoned RCCL cruisers can also enlighten us on whether as a general rule the fares quoted to you are lower when you book on board. :)

 

 

 

tingyyy

[Clarea]

Technically not an extra, but when i booked onboard the fare quoted was about 500 SGD (or about 350 USD) lower PER PAX than if i had booked via RCCL's website. Plus the fare included prepaid gratuities which again, wouldnt have been included had i booked online. And on top of that, the obc mentioned by clarea. Pretty good deal!

 

Hopefully the more seasoned RCCL cruisers can also enlighten us on whether as a general rule the fares quoted to you are lower when you book on board. :)

 

 

 

tingyyy

Fares should be exactly the same on board and when you use Royal's website. The difference could have been any number of things, change in promo, C&A account logged in, balcony discount applied, residency, etc.

[impatientlywaiting]

You also need to make sure they don't put the OBC on your current account. When we booked our next cruise, he tried to insist we take the OBC for the cruise we were on. We explained we already had OBC and did not need any more. He finally backed down and added the OBC credit to the future cruise.

[Clarea]

You also need to make sure they don't put the OBC on your current account. When we booked our next cruise, he tried to insist we take the OBC for the cruise we were on. We explained we already had OBC and did not need any more. He finally backed down and added the OBC credit to the future cruise.

This is a good point, because it seems they really push you to use the OBC immediately. Some have een gone so far as to say that you cannot get the OBC on the future cruise.

[lv2bcruzin]

To be honest, there isn't much of advantage in my opinion. The best option is to book when the cruise is first released (or at least in the first couple of months) which is most of the time the best price you will see (there are exceptions). If you can time an onboard booking with the initial release that would be best. But, to book an overpriced cruise just for OBC does not make financial sense.

 

Prices have gotten so crazy, that their "sales" and onboard booking benefits really only get inexperienced cruisers or those who just want that cruise regardless of price to actually make a booking.

 

Again, there are exceptions (such as a good price drop with OBC), but that is not something to make plans around.

[tampadee]

I think you can change the booking to another cruise if you want.

[Clarea]

I think you can change the booking to another cruise if you want.

Yes, but if you have opted to take the OBC on the future cruise, they reserve the right to reduce the OBC to that of the Open Booking.

[molly361]

Yes, but if you have opted to take the OBC on the future cruise, they reserve the right to reduce the OBC to that of the Open Booking.

 

I'll be finding out in a few months:D

[Clarea]

I'll be finding out in a few months:D

I'll bet when you make the change, they will double your OBC. ;)

[molly361]

I'll bet when you make the change, they will double your OBC. ;)

 

I CERTAINLY hope so;)

[Dunfer]

We are planning a family cruise in 2017, and I will be on a cruise this March. Can I book my cabin and one each for my brother and sister while on board? Total of 3 cabins for the same cruise.

[Clarea]

We are planning a family cruise in 2017, and I will be on a cruise this March. Can I book my cabin and one each for my brother and sister while on board? Total of 3 cabins for the same cruise.

Yes, I've been able to book 3 other staterooms besides our own.

[Paulette3028]

You also need to make sure they don't put the OBC on your current account. When we booked our next cruise, he tried to insist we take the OBC for the cruise we were on. We explained we already had OBC and did not need any more. He finally backed down and added the OBC credit to the future cruise.

 

 

The disadvantage of using the OBC on the cruise that you are on when you book a future cruise is that IF you cancel that future cruise, you LOSE the deposit paid.

[Dunfer]

Thanks, Bob!!

[Merion_Mom]

The disadvantage of using the OBC on the cruise that you are on when you book a future cruise is that IF you cancel that future cruise, you LOSE the deposit paid.

 

......because you already spent it, in the form of the OBC.

[aftop]

The disadvantage of using the OBC on the cruise that you are on when you book a future cruise is that IF you cancel that future cruise, you LOSE the deposit paid.

 

As I mentioned earlier I booked three cabins while on the Oasis and received $300.00 OBC for my current cruise. Later one individual canceled but I didn't get the $100.00 deposit back because I had already received the $100.00 OBC for that cabin.

[tingyyy]

This is a good point, because it seems they really push you to use the OBC immediately. Some have een gone so far as to say that you cannot get the OBC on the future cruise.

 

That's what I was told, and I didn't know any better!

 

And thanks very much for answering my question above. :)

[sfaaa]

 

Prices have gotten so crazy, that their "sales" and onboard booking benefits really only get inexperienced cruisers or those who just want that cruise regardless of price to actually make a booking.

 

.

 

Yes, 90% of the time, the BOGO sale with OBC is a marketing gimmick and only 10% a real sale. You really need to do your research to know which is which.

[Mass2Cruise]

I'm not sure if it changed again in the past month, but a week before our Allure cruise in Nov/Dec of this year, they changed the old Next Booking to a new format. They still have open booking but you don't get the OBC you used to get. Now to get the OBC on the next cruise, you have to pick a booking. We booked a random Harmony cruise that we plan to change only to get 300 obc on the next cruise. We received 100 obc on the current cruise and had a 100 charge for a three person deposit on our cc when we got home (which we were fully aware of).

[Clarea]

I'm not sure if it changed again in the past month, but a week before our Allure cruise in Nov/Dec of this year, they changed the old Next Booking to a new format. They still have open booking but you don't get the OBC you used to get. Now to get the OBC on the next cruise, you have to pick a booking. We booked a random Harmony cruise that we plan to change only to get 300 obc on the next cruise. We received 100 obc on the current cruise and had a 100 charge for a three person deposit on our cc when we got home (which we were fully aware of).

Royal decimated the Open Booking in March 2014. They also discontinued OBC for booking on board for cruises less that 5 nights.

[jticarruthers]

This is a good point, because it seems they really push you to use the OBC immediately. Some have een gone so far as to say that you cannot get the OBC on the future cruise.

 

Tried to do a future booking on Freedom at Thanksgiving and absolutely positively could not get them to give the OBC on the future cruise, they insisted that the only option was to give OBC on the current cruise.

 

Even to the point of pulling up my bill with me to go through and see if I had any refundable OBC that I would be able to get back since I would not have any "balance" on the Freedom cruise to apply the OBC to ....

 

Decided it wasn't worth the hassle.