Diamond Balcony Discount Question

[lilalila]

Via RCI's website I did a mock booking once inputting my C&A number (we are diamond level) and once without and the price was the same for the same category/cabin. Is the discount only on "select" sailings?

[mcatmcat]

Good question I became diamond recently and with or without my C&A I bet the same prices. I was told you can’t combine “sales” let’s wait for a real answer since I’m not really familiar with that discount

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[lilalila]

As for combing sales...good thought...and I was thinking the same thing; but then I'd like to know how to do a "pure" booking?

[Ourusualbeach]

Via RCI's website I did a mock booking once inputting my C&A number (we are diamond level) and once without and the price was the same for the same category/cabin. Is the discount only on "select" sailings?

Were you booking a balcony or higher?

 

 

Also, being logged in makes no difference, the system does not recognize that you are a C&A member.

 

When starting the booking, on the page where it asks for the number of guests in a cabin there is a spot that you can select to bring up “exclusive rates”. You must select this and enter your C&A number here as well as senior, police, fire or military in order for any discounts to apply.

[APDMOM]

Good luck on finding a real answer... I know that C&A discounts are sometimes not honored on a sale price, and they will give you the “best” price.

 

However, you can also run into what Host Clarea accurately dubbed “Dynamic math” - the Royal Caribbean way of doing the math. Look at how different these totals are on their website for exactly the same sailing, exactly the same category... Note that the prices/discounts are identical, but the totals are different:

 

 

[lilalila]

Were you booking a balcony or higher?

 

 

Also, being logged in makes no difference, the system does not recognize that you are a C&A member.

 

When starting the booking, on the page where it asks for the number of guests in a cabin there is a spot that you can select to bring up “exclusive rates”. You must select this and enter your C&A number here as well as senior, police, fire or military in order for any discounts to apply.

 

Hmm....I did. Same as you said and same result in price. Also, I qualify for military and police discount. Guess what? Same price! It's not that any difference in price will stop me from cruising but then just don't advertise so I don't need to think about it.

[Ourusualbeach]

Hmm....I did. Same as you said and same result in price. Also, I qualify for military and police discount. Guess what? Same price! It's not that any difference in price will stop me from cruising but then just don't advertise so I don't need to think about it.

Military and police discounts aren’t on all cruises..

 

It is strange as I just repriced one of my cruises tonight and it gave me my diamond balcony discount.

[ONECRUISER]

Might be that some discounts and sales you can't combine. I always check different ways with/without see which gets best price. As already said Military rate is rare but I did get one Balcony cabin that was $800 on a 10 nite me traveling alone. Other times I can't get best rate traveling alone, have to put second person in my cabin then they are a no-show and I get my Port Taxes back for them...

[doenbucket]

Were you booking a balcony or higher?

 

 

Also, being logged in makes no difference, the system does not recognize that you are a C&A member.

 

When starting the booking, on the page where it asks for the number of guests in a cabin there is a spot that you can select to bring up “exclusive rates”. You must select this and enter your C&A number here as well as senior, police, fire or military in order for any discounts to apply.

Thanks for that tip. Certainly makes a difference in price.

[papaflamingo]

Always check your C & A discount vs any other discounts. I qualify for Military, senior, resident, and Interline (airlines) rates. The Interline rate is not combinable with my D+ discount. BUT, I've found times when the Interline Rate is $200 below the regular rate, so I book the regular rate with the discount for less than the Interline rate without. Need to do some fancy math to really get a feel for what you can book for. Always consider discounts, OBC, free dinners or drinks in your rate. Often the higher rate is cheaper because of the included perks.

[Birdnutty]

When did they change the balcony discount from 325 to 226 for Diamonds? Please pardon me for being so dense. I must have had my head under a rock. We were on the Anthem in January, and I didn't notice a reduction in discount, but I did book a year previous to that. And when booking on board there were so many caveats and strange math that I was totally confused. Not to mention a Next cruise rep whose English I had trouble deciphering and must have been having a bad day, because he was kinda brusque and not terribly willing to explain everything.

[Clarea]

When did they change the balcony discount from 325 to 226 for Diamonds? Please pardon me for being so dense. I must have had my head under a rock. We were on the Anthem in January, and I didn't notice a reduction in discount, but I did book a year previous to that. And when booking on board there were so many caveats and strange math that I was totally confused. Not to mention a Next cruise rep whose English I had trouble deciphering and must have been having a bad day, because he was kinda brusque and not terribly willing to explain everything.

The balcony discount has not changed.

 

However, Royal computes the fake percentage off in a way to minimize the balcony discount.

 

 

They start off with the fake base price, subtract the balcony discount, and then take the fake percent off.

 

If they would take the fake percent off first, and then subtract the balcony discount, we would get the full value of the balcony discount. However, that goes against the policy of constant diminution of C&A benefits that has been in place for years now.

[griffy116]

Same thing we've found, Bob. Our balcony discount used to amount to a real discount. Not anymore. If you buy the Deluxe drink package, drinks in the DL are no big deal. I can get any drink I want free at any bar on the ship. Priority wait area with a continental breakfast? Self-embark and that isn't a perk. Gifts in the room are a thing of the past. I know there are more that have gone away or diminished but the discount on the balcony and above were really what we used and valued. Now the value on it is virtually gone.

[topnole]

I price my cruises with and with out our D+ discount. I can’t remember the last time we really got the D+ discount b/c it always seems it is the same as whatever “sale” price they are running (since you can’t combine them). So effectively all of their “sales” simply mean the price is often the same for a newbie or diamond and up.

[LorraineP]

Don’t know why they even have it listed anymore as a benefit for Diamond & above because with their so called sales our price for cruise is only a few dollars less or same then a first time cruiser. Another one of our benefits that is being slowly eliminated. Thanks RCCL for showing us how much you appreciate our loyalty.

[Birdnutty]

The balcony discount has not changed.

 

However, Royal computes the fake percentage off in a way to minimize the balcony discount.

 

 

They start off with the fake base price, subtract the balcony discount, and then take the fake percent off.

 

If they would take the fake percent off first, and then subtract the balcony discount, we would get the full value of the balcony discount. However, that goes against the policy of constant diminution of C&A benefits that has been in place for years now.

 

Thanks for explaining that, Bob. I did try to do the math their way, and it sure is interesting! This is most likely why RCL is doing so well in the stock market. Squeezing every penny out for the sake of profits. Speaking of which, the shareholder benefit doesn't mean that much either any more since you can't combine it with much of anything either.

 

 

As for the Diamond cocktail hour... that one we love. We can put away more alcohol than we need in those hours, so drinking during the day doesn't seem like too great an idea for us. That cocktail time has been the deciding factor for us in choosing Royal over another line more than once. So for some, it still is a really nice perk. If that goes away,... well..., so might we. All things considered, of course.