Is it just me or is the sale promotions bogus?

[Tntt]

Ok so I've been following RC sale promotion such as 2nd guest 50% off but I've noticed that the prices seem to be bumped up so high that even with 50% off you really aren't saving any money. Is it just me or does anyone else notice this? I want to rebook on a oasis class ship for 2020 but even with the supposedly BOGO 50% it is still almost 4000.00 for next may. I really want to cruise with RC but it seems like their sales are really just bogus promotions can somebody help me to understand the logistics behind how they price because it just doesn't make sense to me.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Tntt

[Illbcruzn4life]

24 minutes ago, Tntt said:

Ok so I've been following RC sale promotion such as 2nd guest 50% off but I've noticed that the prices seem to be bumped up so high that even with 50% off you really aren't saving any money. Is it just me or does anyone else notice this? I want to rebook on a oasis class ship for 2020 but even with the supposedly BOGO 50% it is still almost 4000.00 for next may. I really want to cruise with RC but it seems like their sales are really just bogus promotions can somebody help me to understand the logistics behind how they price because it just doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

as they are called on this forum, "fake sales".

 

It seems from your post you have it figured out quite well.

[Tree_skier]

The sales and percentages are all meaningless.  Look at the final cost and decide from there. All the promotions are is marketing nonsense.  Overall I think Royals prices are better than some and worse than others.  It all comes down to what kind of experience you want and how much you are willing to pay for that experience.

[Sailor Taylor]

It's not just you!!! 

 

I configured my email that all those 58426796 sales emails go straight to the trash where they belong. 

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, Tntt said:

Ok so I've been following RC sale promotion such as 2nd guest 50% off but I've noticed that the prices seem to be bumped up so high that even with 50% off you really aren't saving any money. Is it just me or does anyone else notice this? I want to rebook on a oasis class ship for 2020 but even with the supposedly BOGO 50% it is still almost 4000.00 for next may. I really want to cruise with RC but it seems like their sales are really just bogus promotions can somebody help me to understand the logistics behind how they price because it just doesn't make sense to me.

 

What they are calling this sale promotion is irrelevant.  The only thing that matters is what they are charging.  Don't worry about words.  Worry about numbers.

[Clarea]

5 hours ago, Tntt said:

 ...  can somebody help me to understand the logistics behind how they price because it just doesn't make sense to me.

 

I think they use a dartboard to select which fake "percent off" numbers to use each month.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

5 hours ago, Tntt said:

Is it just me or does anyone else notice this?

Na its you......RCI would never do something shady!😱😜

[crystalspin]

We did get a great deal on a transAtlantic by booking shortly after it was published, on a promotion(!). It never went lower. We added beverage package+internet on a fluke sale in September that I believe was a test drive for the Cyber Monday sale, as it was about that come Black Friday/Cyber weekend.

 

My take is to keep checking. As far as the add-ons, book them at a rate you can stand and KEEP CHECKING. You can cancel and rebook if it goes lower -- I did so three times the day of the fluke!

[Jim40]

Its called RCCL math they don't teach it in school .

[deliver42]

The last real sale was in May, 2014 when the first BOGO sale first started. After about 2 weeks of a real sale Royal changed the pricing and there hasn't been a real sale since. Just a numbers game.

[Clarea]

Just now, deliver42 said:

The last real sale was in May, 2014 when the first BOGO sale first started. After about 2 weeks of a real sale Royal changed the pricing and there hasn't been a real sale since. Just a numbers game.

 

Agree, except for Kids Sail Free.  That seems to actually save people some money.

[xcell]

No such thing as a sale .... Just watch the price (daily...hourly...) and book when the price is right.

 

But since this is rccl...make sure you are good with that date, especially if your booking a NRD.

 

 

[Iamcruzin]

6 hours ago, Tntt said:

Ok so I've been following RC sale promotion such as 2nd guest 50% off but I've noticed that the prices seem to be bumped up so high that even with 50% off you really aren't saving any money. Is it just me or does anyone else notice this? I want to rebook on a oasis class ship for 2020 but even with the supposedly BOGO 50% it is still almost 4000.00 for next may. I really want to cruise with RC but it seems like their sales are really just bogus promotions can somebody help me to understand the logistics behind how they price because it just doesn't make sense to me.

What's even worse is when you do finally book the math doesn't seem to add up either. 

[Iamcruzin]

43 minutes ago, Jim40 said:

Its called RCCL math they don't teach it in school .

I thought it was that "New Math" that my parents always referred to when helping me with my homework.

[alfaeric]

Every company on the planet does this.  It's not unique to RCI, it's no unique to sailing ships, it's not unique to vacations.  You see it all the time in appliances and electronics.

 

If you think this is just RCI doing it, then you are being duped by many other companies out there doing the exact same thing.

 

it's called Marketing.

[A&L_Ont]

The last real sale was 30-30-30, close to ten years ago.

 

Well except for the $18 drink package sale, and we all really know that was an accident.

[PMGS247]

New to RCI, figured this out myself a couple weeks ago.  The "% off" labels are BS.  The only way to maximize your value is to watch the prices regularly and get yourself familiar with the ranges.  Even coming on here is tricky because it's not the same for every cruise.  Definitely a change of pace from my past cruise experience.  It is what it is, though.  Seems to be an opportunity to get some decent prices if you do it properly; I'll play along.  I got the $18 drink package by doing this so how much can I complain.  I was one of the few who just stumbled across it by pure dumb luck...in fact I posted in my roll call something to the effect of  "this cruise must really be underselling to post a drink package that low" just before it all blew up.

[NateUpNorth]

To answer your thread title question:

Yes.

[blackshirt]

20 minutes ago, NateUpNorth said:

To answer your thread title question:

Yes.

The thread title is an “or” question. So you’re saying it is just the OP and and the sales are bogus? 😊

[NateUpNorth]

5 minutes ago, blackshirt said:

The thread title is an “or” question. So you’re saying it is just the OP and and the sales are bogus? 😊

 

Nicely spotted. 🙈

[Hoopster95]

2 hours ago, deliver42 said:

The last real sale was in May, 2014 when the first BOGO sale first started. 

 

100% this.

 

46 minutes ago, PMGS247 said:

New to RCI, figured this out myself a couple weeks ago.  The "% off" labels are BS.  The only way to maximize your value is to watch the prices regularly and get yourself familiar with the ranges.  Even coming on here is tricky because it's not the same for every cruise.  

 

100% correct.... yes you've really figured this out very quickly. Well done.

 

If you do not follow pricing regularly (for different ships, different itineraries, different cabin classes, time of year, economic factors ie. recession, drydocks, etc etc) then it's very difficult to understand what is a good deal. Note that many great prices do not show up on any advertised sale, and many of these have been publicized here on CC for other cruisers to jump on if they can. Also, most of the best "deals" I have booked in recent years have been group rates from my TA... no sale ever could compare with any group rate I have ever received, and I don't have to check for price drops 50 times per day (tongue in cheek) like many seem to say they do.

[neverbeenhere]

As stated, it is done teached in skhool, it’s is Marketing 101. 

[awestover89]

2 hours ago, alfaeric said:

Every company on the planet does this.  It's not unique to RCI, it's no unique to sailing ships, it's not unique to vacations.  You see it all the time in appliances and electronics.

 

If you think this is just RCI doing it, then you are being duped by many other companies out there doing the exact same thing.

 

it's called Marketing.

 

Exactly. I've never understood why people seem so confused by it when they see Royal (or any other cruise line doing it)

 

Norwegian gives you "free" drink packages but the base cost of the cruise just happens to be about $800 more than a cruise without the free drink package.

 

I have a local grocery story that is always advertising sales on 12 packs of soda. Buy 2 get 2 free, but they charge $8 per 12 pack. The other grocery store never puts soda on sale but charges $4 per 12 pack. No matter what you're paying $16 for 4 12 packs of soda. The sale makes no difference at all

 

One website will sell a product for $50 and give you free shipping. Another site will sell the same product for $40 and charge $10 for shipping.

 

Black Friday, all the electronics stores will use unique, exclusive "product numbers" for their doorbusters so you can't price match. But the 2100B TV sold by Best Buy and the 2100W sold by Wal-Mart and the 2100T sold by Target are all the exact same TV. It's just all marketing and legalese.

 

You have to look at the bottom line price, no matter what it is you are buying. This isn't something new or unique to cruises

[awestover89]

32 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

100% this.

 

 

100% correct.... yes you've really figured this out very quickly. Well done.

 

If you do not follow pricing regularly (for different ships, different itineraries, different cabin classes, time of year, economic factors ie. recession, drydocks, etc etc) then it's very difficult to understand what is a good deal. Note that many great prices do not show up on any advertised sale, and many of these have been publicized here on CC for other cruisers to jump on if they can. Also, most of the best "deals" I have booked in recent years have been group rates from my TA... no sale ever could compare with any group rate I have ever received, and I don't have to check for price drops 50 times per day (tongue in cheek) like many seem to say they do.

 

I've had two instances where a later sale got me a price drop on a travel agent group rate. Once was a relatively small drop before final payment, the second was a free upgrade after final payment. For my 2021 Australia cruise I'm almost certain it won't get anywhere close; an interior is now more than $1,000 more than I paid for a balcony on the group rate. 

[PMGS247]

It's true that many other companies do this it's just a lot on RCI...it's like playing the stock market. I'm not complaining, I kind of like it, but I can see why it could be a little intimidating.

 

Compare it to Princess for example....they run a "free" beverage package special at this time of year for about 6 weeks.  Any sailing you purchase where they offer the package, the beverage package is included. In reality the fare has been increased by slightly less than the full cost of the package on it's own.  Makes for a better deal than buying the fare and package separately, but "free" - absolutely not.  That's the only place you'll see it though is on high level fare promotions....which will run for like 6 weeks, everyone will be notified, and you can either re-fare to trade your previous promotion or not.

 

That's where it ends though.  Their version of the cruise planner will never change.  Excursion and package prices are what they are right now and they will most likely be exactly the same up until the cruise itself where the price of most things will go up slightly for on-board prices.  There's not 2 dozen items constantly fluctuating in price by small amounts coupled with confusing/misleading "% off" labels.  Again, not complaining, the prices on princess are simple and unchanging but there's a downside - they never go down.  If you are diligent on RCI you can really optimize your costs a lot better, but it's a lot to watch, and the system just seems riddled with Marketing ploys that don't seem totally trustworthy and it just makes for an overall different feel to the experience.  I don't care, if I can get a better deal I'm fine with playing along, but I can see why someone would say they don't like it.

Edited July 11, 2019 by PMGS247