TA says RCCL won't provide booking reference before summer?

[Piggeldy]

Hi,

 

we have our first RCCL cruise booked for October. I asked our TA (cruise specialist) to provide us with the reservation number that is needed to access the cruise planner as I wanted to make specialty dining reservations and book excursions and they say they can't. According to them, RCCL won't assign us a reservation number until later in the year / summer.

 

Does this sound correct?

Is this because we have booked through a TA? outside US/UK? a package deal (flight and cruise)? Or is this the norm and RCCL only provides reservation numbers 120 days out?

 

I haven't been happy with this TA but the price was amazing (and they are a cruise specialist with an excellent reputation) and somehow by now I am doubting pretty much anything they tell me. We started off on the wrong foot (didn't receive advertised onboard credit - we booked during their "valentines promotion" but as our booking wasn't processed until the following Monday it was no longer valid; no confirmation that our credit card details were received or when they'd charge the card or that they had charged the card; no option to pick dining times - have been told we have to chose dining time at online check-in etc.) and it just isn't getting better. I wish I could cancel (but would lose deposit, which is 20% of the fare) or transfer to our usual TA (can't due to having a package booked plus cruise alone would cost 1000 Euros more than the package, per person). I know the cruise itself will be amazing but somehow I have the feeling that the TA isn't trying :(

[39august]

We always get a reservation number as soon as a deposit is paid. And we frequently book over a year in advance. You have no way of proving you paid a deposit or that you actually have a reservation unless you have a reservation number. Sounds like a TA problem to me. Perhaps the TA has held your deposit instead of paying RCI?

[Hotel CA]

Actually they can and should provide you with the reference number so you can link it to "my cruises" on Royal website but you will not be able to book dining reservations etc until after final payment I believe-- we have 2 reservations booked -- Nov 2016 and March 2017 but cannot reserve MTD times nor others except drink package and paid for items (on my CC) until after final payment in August (for the first cruise).

 

I received my Royal reservation number as soon as the deposit was processed from my TA -- they can get it for you.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

This is a big red flag. Since you booked through a TA RC will not discuss your reservation. but, I would call them and see if you HAVE a reservation. They should at least do that.

 

You should have a reservation number right away. It is like an airline in that repect.

Edited April 19, 2016 by DragonOfTheSeas

[cruzeluver]

Yep, something stinks here. I would do what DragonOfTheSeas suggests and contact Royal to confirm is they show a booking for you. Methinks you may have a bad TA.

[Piggeldy]

Thank you. That's what I thought...

 

We didn't think we would have any problems with this TA. They have consistedly tested as one of the top 5 cruise specialists in the country (depending on where you look), they were awarded the title of "best cruise portal" in 2014. We have their booking confirmation which includes flight details and that the cruise was booked (D GTY). We will never stray from our usual TA again :(

[SC_Floaters]

You should have a booking number and get a booking confirmation even with only a deposit...

 

A booking number is assigned to '24 Hour Hold' bookings online.

 

Dennis

[Clarea]

You should have a booking number and get a booking confirmation even with only a deposit...

 

A booking number is assigned to '24 Hour Hold' bookings online.

 

Dennis

It could be that the agency has staterooms on hold, but has not actually booked the guests. However, if the guest's credit card has been charged by Royal Caribbean, then there should be a booking number.

[Piggeldy]

It could be that the agency has staterooms on hold, but has not actually booked the guests. However, if the guest's credit card has been charged by Royal Caribbean, then there should be a booking number.

 

That idea has just come up on another board as well. That the TA might have staterooms on hold but won't book us until some time in summer. I will need to check my credit card as to who has charged the card. I think it's the TA (that would be usual over here though, we have always been charged by our TA) but don't know for sure.

[ColoradoGurl]

Maybe it has something to do with how they book their groups. They may have gotten a great discount because they blocked out X number of rooms and are waiting until they receive deposits for all of them before they complete the booking with Royal Caribbean. In that case, RC doesn't even have your name yet. The agent might get until some date in summer to fill all the spots they claimed they'd fill in order to get the discount and since they don't have them yet, they don't have a reservation number for you yet.

 

I've heard of people getting great discounts by using big travel agencies, but the drawback seems to be that you lose all control of your booking and are subject to more restrictive cancellation policies. It's the price you pay for the discount. I'm sure you'll get the booking and reservation number eventually, you'll just have to wait for them to fill all their spots first.

[Piggeldy]

Our local cancellation policies are less than stellar anyways ;) and with our regular TA I really didn't mind losing control over my booking because they really were excellent. If this TA had said they didn't have a reservation number for xyz reason that wouldn't have been a problem, the problem is that they send an email that says "Dear Mrs. X, we will not receive your reservation number before summer. Regards, TA"... one sentence.

 

On the other hand they asked me a few weeks back if we wanted to pre-pay the service charge at the old rate by 1 April. Wonder where they would have put that money if they haven't actually booked us with Royal yet.

[Desert Cruizers]

For our cruise next year, we are going with our friends TA and it is under a Group Booking. I did receive an invoice from her showing our individual Booking # & Group #. She had blocked several rooms and as she placed us in our selected room, she sent out the invoices showing our room #. It may have taken longer then if I had booked with our local TA but I still had our booking #.

 

In regards to the Gratuities, I was told by RCCL, that if you have the Gratuities listed on your invoice, you do NOT need to Pre Pay them.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Desert Cruizers

[tgloersen]

Yah just to echo everyone else, who replied, I received our reservation number from the TA for October the next day and that was back in January.

[Clarea]

That idea has just come up on another board as well. That the TA might have staterooms on hold but won't book us until some time in summer. I will need to check my credit card as to who has charged the card. I think it's the TA (that would be usual over here though, we have always been charged by our TA) but don't know for sure.

Maybe it's different for your booking, but a credit card charge for a cruise payment that is not directly from the cruise line company would set off alarms for me.

[krev]

Actually they can and should provide you with the reference number so you can link it to "my cruises" on Royal website but you will not be able to book dining reservations etc until after final payment I believe-- we have 2 reservations booked -- Nov 2016 and March 2017 but cannot reserve MTD times nor others except drink package and paid for items (on my CC) until after final payment in August (for the first cruise).

 

I don't think this is correct. We have a b2b booked for October and have made MTD reservations and specialty restaurant reservations already.

 

 

 

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[baileymouse]

Sounds a bit odd. We booked a month ago for Aug. 15 and have had our number the entire time. We booked via Costco.

[jamesr3939]

In January, I booked three cabins on Oasis for October. I had reservations numbers for all three the very day I deposited.

 

I was able to access mine immediately and set up my cruise planner.

 

The other two cabins were booked as a group so we got a discount and OBC. Those I couldn't access until just last month. I am guessing our TA has to deposit all the cabins in the group before you can set up anything in cruise planner, but you should still have RSVP numbers.

[MrsCorL]

Hi,

 

we have our first RCCL cruise booked for October. I asked our TA (cruise specialist) to provide us with the reservation number that is needed to access the cruise planner as I wanted to make specialty dining reservations and book excursions and they say they can't. According to them, RCCL won't assign us a reservation number until later in the year / summer.

 

Does this sound correct?

Is this because we have booked through a TA? outside US/UK? a package deal (flight and cruise)? Or is this the norm and RCCL only provides reservation numbers 120 days out?

 

I haven't been happy with this TA but the price was amazing (and they are a cruise specialist with an excellent reputation) and somehow by now I am doubting pretty much anything they tell me. We started off on the wrong foot (didn't receive advertised onboard credit - we booked during their "valentines promotion" but as our booking wasn't processed until the following Monday it was no longer valid; no confirmation that our credit card details were received or when they'd charge the card or that they had charged the card; no option to pick dining times - have been told we have to chose dining time at online check-in etc.) and it just isn't getting better. I wish I could cancel (but would lose deposit, which is 20% of the fare) or transfer to our usual TA (can't due to having a package booked plus cruise alone would cost 1000 Euros more than the package, per person). I know the cruise itself will be amazing but somehow I have the feeling that the TA isn't trying :(

 

have you gotten your booking number yet? i am an at home agent and i should be able to pull it up on the one website we use to book.....

[foxgoodrich]

have you gotten your booking number yet? i am an at home agent and i should be able to pull it up on the one website we use to book....

That's the problem! Piggledy cannot get her booking number from the TA (or some call it a reservation number, but it's the same thing.)

 

 

 

Piggledy - I'm not a TA, and I don't know how TAs operate in your country. (Actually I don't even know your country! I'm good with print, not so good with coordinates.:o) I do know, from reading stuff here, that RC has different policies for the UK and for Australia, but even if you did the reservation from one of those I still don't think that's the problem.

 

I think the problem is the TA. The suspicious 'bee-ahhtch' cell in my brain is calling shenanigans on this glib and unsatisfactory answer from the TA. I use a TA and have used the same one for many years. She is always willing to answer any questions and she takes care of some things that we forgot to ask. She's told us about group opportunities/extra amenities on specific cruises twice and gave us the opportunity to join if we wished. I suspect your TA has arranged a group booking on your cruise (possibly at discounted rates and a nice commission for the TA) and is trying to fill the cabins. There are GAP points from RC for a group that are being used for things - like OBC or other amenities provided to those who book. Maybe the TA can't get individual booking numbers for the individuals who have signed up until the entire group is booked, and that's most likely the problem - there are still empty cabins to be filled before the group can be finalized. Unfortunately the TA is not informing the individual people that they are part of a group.

 

I think in your position I would call the TA on the phone and ask a LOT of questions...the main one being how much longer the delay will be to get your own individual reservation/booking number. I would ask if I were part of a group. And I would call this TA once or twice each week - every 2 or 3 days. I would be nice (you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar)...I would chit chat a little about how excited I am about my cruise...I would sob just a little that I can't purchase some of the lovely things I want to arrange pre-cruise because I don't have my booking number...I would ask nicely to get that number a.s.a.p. And I would do that every time I called. And I would call a LOT (squeaking wheel and all that...)

Good luck!:)

Judy

Edited April 20, 2016 by foxgoodrich

[ColoradoGurl]

That's great advice Judy.

[jagsfan]

Usually when a TA books a group, she holds cabins in the categories she thinks will sell. As she gets cc for deposit, she contacts the cruise line online or by phone, gives the cc for deposit and a cabin is assigned. The earlier you give your cc number the more choices of cabin you have. A guest confirmation with an individual booking number should be generated by the cruise line and emailed to the passenger. There is no reason every detail of someone's booking shouldn't be available to them. There is a group booking number and an individual booking number.

 

 

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[Royalty X]

You've got a guarantee cabin, so you won't have a cabin number, but they should definitely have a booking reference, even if it's booked as part of a group.