Royal introduces non refundable booking option.

[SA71]

I'm extremely surprised at how many people are willing to give up flexibility in their cruises in exchange for pennies. $143 I read in one post. Really!!!??! That doesn't even cover the change fee if you need to move the cruise a week or a year. That kind of money is totally not worth switching to non-refundable to me.

 

 

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That is because I cruise maybe once every 18 months and I fully intend to go on the specific cruise I booked...so why not get a lower rate?? If the price drops...the penalty does not apply...

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

Well then I will stick with my current booking as I do not want to be that firmly committed to a cruise that is still a year and a half away.

 

thanks

 

 

Exactly. A lot can happen in a year. You get invited to a wedding, get a new job, have a baby, or for any reason whatsoever want to switch to a different week to accommodate life and boom...piddly discount you sold yourself out for a year ago is costing you money. Not worth it to me, even for several hundred dollars.

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

That is because I cruise maybe once every 18 months and I fully intend to go on the specific cruise I booked...so why not get a lower rate?? If the price drops...the penalty does not apply...

 

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I booked a cruise over a year ago fully intending to go as well, then 2 different really important things came up during that week (one being a wedding I couldn't miss) and suddenly that cruise I was fully intending to take had to be changed to a different week.

 

You never know what can happen in that 18 months between your vacations. Changing to a NR option to save $100, $200, even $400...totally not worth it to me. If the cruise is only a few months away and the discount is $500 or more, I'll start to consider it, but it would have to be close to final payment day where I'd be locked in anyway and even then, I might not do it.

 

and PS the price never went down on that cruise, not ONCE since the itinerary was released, and ended up sold out- no price drops. So betting on the price to drop so you can get back that change fee penalty doesn't always work out, and I imagine this new non-refundable trick of RC's will get them a lot of money from people who are so price sensitive that they'll handcuff themselves for a couple hundred bucks.

 

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Edited July 13, 2017 by ColoradoGurl

[nelblu]

Not familiar with the other cruise line policies-can someone shed any facts with regards to R/NR fares.

 

Also, half a month since the intro of this policy--any inkling of the impact on future bookings.

[molly361]

It will be interesting to see when the new sailings get released next spring what the price differences are. I wonder if it will be like the airlines where the price differences between refundable and non are very large making most folks choose non refundable.

[Clarea]

It will be interesting to see when the new sailings get released next spring what the price differences are. I wonder if it will be like the airlines where the price differences between refundable and non are very large making most folks choose non refundable.

I don't think it will reach that point ... yet. The difference is that the full price of the airline ticket is non-refundable, not just the deposit. But, thanks for giving them THAT idea.:eek:

[molly361]

I don't think it will reach that point ... yet. The difference is that the full price of the airline ticket is non-refundable, not just the deposit. But, thanks for giving them THAT idea.:eek:

 

 

WHOOPS!! I did it again:halo:

[island lady]

I have the 2018 fall TA booked in an Aft JS. [emoji33]

 

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Oh no...with your record for having cruises cancelled. Yikes!! :eek:

[Beachammo]

When I was price checking my cruises last night......the non-refundable rate was still much higher than what I paid. Then I started to wonder "what is the magical savings" that would make me switch to non-refundable??

 

For me....the magical number is $400. Twice the penalty. I would roll the dice for 2-1 every time.

 

There is not much, except maybe surgery, that will keep me from sailing. Definitely not a wedding!

 

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[island lady]

I booked a cruise over a year ago fully intending to go as well, then 2 different really important things came up during that week (one being a wedding I couldn't miss) and suddenly that cruise I was fully intending to take had to be changed to a different week.

 

You never know what can happen in that 18 months between your vacations. Changing to a NR option to save $100, $200, even $400...totally not worth it to me. If the cruise is only a few months away and the discount is $500 or more, I'll start to consider it, but it would have to be close to final payment day where I'd be locked in anyway and even then, I might not do it.

 

and PS the price never went down on that cruise, not ONCE since the itinerary was released, and ended up sold out- no price drops. So betting on the price to drop so you can get back that change fee penalty doesn't always work out, and I imagine this new non-refundable trick of RC's will get them a lot of money from people who are so price sensitive that they'll handcuff themselves for a couple hundred bucks.

 

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That is why there are choices. No one is making anyone take the NRD...it's just out there for an option.

 

Me? I saved 469.00 over my previously booked rate, and gained an additional 100.00 OBC. I have only had to

change ships/sail date twice in over 20 years. If an emergency came up...yeah, that would probably be past final

payment. Then I would have a whole lot more to lose than the NRD! :o

[Clarea]

... For me....the magical number is $400. Twice the penalty. I would roll the dice for 2-1 every time.

...

I saw that amount of difference on those two 2019 Adventure cruises. However, that was for a JS. I did not make the change. Too far out to go non-refundable for me.

[Beachammo]

I saw that amount of difference on those two 2019 Adventure cruises. However, that was for a JS. I did not make the change. Too far out to go non-refundable for me.

As long as I believed there is a better than 50-50 chance I'll be on the boat.......I'll take 2-1 odds.

 

Wish the casino would give us 2-1 for blackjack bets. That would put me in a seat.

 

By the way.....you gotta go! Party is waiting!!

 

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[Biker19]

I predict that when the 21-22 itineraries come on in March 2020, there will be no refundable deposits (like the rest of the world outside of NA has had).

[Clarea]

As long as I believed there is a better than 50-50 chance I'll be on the boat.......I'll take 2-1 odds.

 

Wish the casino would give us 2-1 for blackjack bets. That would put me in a seat.

 

By the way.....you gotta go! Party is waiting!!

 

 

We are all in, at least at this point. :D

[Beachammo]

I predict that when the 21-22 itineraries come on in March 2020, there will be no refundable deposits (like the rest of the world outside of NA has had).

BeachAmmo hopes Biker has a cloudy crystal ball.....but is afraid he might be correct.

 

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[Beachammo]

We are all in, at least at this point. :D

Looking forward to it....

 

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[molly361]

I predict that when the 21-22 itineraries come on in March 2020, there will be no refundable deposits (like the rest of the world outside of NA has had).

 

That gives me a few years to work on my commitment issues

[island lady]

As long as I believed there is a better than 50-50 chance I'll be on the boat.......I'll take 2-1 odds.

 

Wish the casino would give us 2-1 for blackjack bets. That would put me in a seat.

 

By the way.....you gotta go! Party is waiting!!

 

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Ditto to that!! That is exactly how I look at it!! :D

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[Biker19]

That gives me a few years to work on my commitment issues

You can start practicing now.

[hapster85]

I predict that when the 21-22 itineraries come on in March 2020, there will be no refundable deposits (like the rest of the world outside of NA has had).

I wouldn't have a problem with that if the deposits were lower, but at $250 per, I wouldn't be booking cruises a year or more out, like I do now. And if I didn't like the prices at 6 months or less, I wouldn't be booking at all.

[jpolm]

Book on ship u get less deposit and obc and can change. Benefits of booking on ship. I don't cruise often (not sure how you all afford to our 2 or more on calendar) but we sail every few years so I put one on calendar with hope to not change but things do change. So I will pay more for flexibility

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

Book on ship u get less deposit and obc and can change. Benefits of booking on ship. I don't cruise often (not sure how you all afford to our 2 or more on calendar) but we sail every few years so I put one on calendar with hope to not change but things do change. So I will pay more for flexibility

 

 

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If I lived at a port, I'd cruise two or three times a year (assuming I didn't get bored with going to the same places all the time). The cost of flights and hotels doubles my cruise cost, and also makes it so I can't take advantage of last minute deals in a cost effective way (last minute flight prices negate the cruise savings).

 

A lot of the people who cruise that often live near a port, and others are retired or have no children so they aren't limited to expensive times of year for travel. It's not that unreasonable for people to cruise that much if you think about it.

 

 

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[Biker19]

I wouldn't have a problem with that if the deposits were lower, but at $250 per, I wouldn't be booking cruises a year or more out, like I do now. And if I didn't like the prices at 6 months or less, I wouldn't be booking at all.

I assume in a NRD only world, the rules implemented July 1 will still hold - you won't lose your whole deposit, only $100 pp of it (assuming you can use the FCC you get with the change). Again, this is already the way the rest of the world operates.

[hapster85]

I assume in a NRD only world, the rules implemented July 1 will still hold - you won't lose your whole deposit, only $100 pp of it (assuming you can use the FCC you get with the change). Again, this is already the way the rest of the world operates.

While the FCC lessens the blow, a credit isn't the same as a refund, obviously. That being the way the rest of the world operates doesn't make it more palatable to me. Anyway, as I said, if things actually go this way, it'll change the way I look at booking.

 

It is what it is. We'll all survive the ordeal. 😏

[seeyakids]

Let's see if I can muck this up a bit......Considering booking a TA though my travel agent. I get an additional $200 OBC booking as a NRD cruise. I saved $34 on the price of this TA from the last time I checked (about a month ago). And with the OBC increase the travel agent is paying my gratuities ($432 on a 16 day TA). Question. Is my OBC refundable (unused to be credited to my card after the cruise) or non-refundable (use or lose)?