Repricing to kids sail free

[Dan83]

I booked a cabin for early December 2021. Refundable deposit of course. There are only 6 of these type cabins on the ship so I had to book early to get one. This sailing should be eligible for a future kids sail free promo(assuming they continue to run these sales). Since I have a final payment coming up and I’ve put deposits on some new bookings recently. I was trying to save some deposit money($450 per person) by only booking the cabin as a double, with the intention of adding the kids and additional deposit when I reprice the booking in the future. Usually you have to book at least 3 people in this type cabin, but on the longer 11 day itineraries, they allow you to book double or even a solo. I know there is a slight risk that the muster station could fill up, but by the time this sailing becomes kids sail free eligible, it will still be more than a year in advance. However, this cabin category may very well be sold out by then. Would they reprice a sold out category? In that situation would it be better to already have the kids on the reservation or try to add them? 
 

I looked at this ship and the longer itineraries for December 2020 and there are a handful of these cabins left, and are significantly cheaper priced with kids sail free.  So in a nutshell, should I just fork out the deposit cash now and add the kids to the reservation? 

[rimmit]

They will typically reprice a sold out category on KSF from my experience and we use KSF 90 percent of the time, and have had sold out categories in the past.

 

i personally would just put down the deposit as RCI can be fickle even though we have never had an issue pricing out a sold out cabin category with the KSF offers.

[LMaxwell]

57 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

I booked a cabin for early December 2021. Refundable deposit of course. There are only 6 of these type cabins on the ship so I had to book early to get one. This sailing should be eligible for a future kids sail free promo(assuming they continue to run these sales). Since I have a final payment coming up and I’ve put deposits on some new bookings recently. I was trying to save some deposit money($450 per person) by only booking the cabin as a double, with the intention of adding the kids and additional deposit when I reprice the booking in the future. Usually you have to book at least 3 people in this type cabin, but on the longer 11 day itineraries, they allow you to book double or even a solo. I know there is a slight risk that the muster station could fill up, but by the time this sailing becomes kids sail free eligible, it will still be more than a year in advance. However, this cabin category may very well be sold out by then. Would they reprice a sold out category? In that situation would it be better to already have the kids on the reservation or try to add them? 
 

I looked at this ship and the longer itineraries for December 2020 and there are a handful of these cabins left, and are significantly cheaper priced with kids sail free.  So in a nutshell, should I just fork out the deposit cash now and add the kids to the reservation? 

 

Being 2 years out I'd wait.  At 1 year out I'd go ahead and add the third. 

[Ourusualbeach]

Add the kids and put the deposit down 

[AshleyDillo]

Won't the price for the first 2 get repriced when you go to add the third person at this point?  It may be significantly higher for the first 2 people when you try to add with KSF.  I would lock in now just in case that happens.  You CAN reprice even in a sold out category..you just can't easily tell what the price should be since you can't do a mock booking.

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, AshleyDillo said:

Won't the price for the first 2 get repriced when you go to add the third person at this point?  It may be significantly higher for the first 2 people when you try to add with KSF.  I would lock in now just in case that happens.  You CAN reprice even in a sold out category..you just can't easily tell what the price should be since you can't do a mock booking.

 Not unless you change categories. 

[AshleyDillo]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

 Not unless you change categories. 

 

Interesting..thanks for clarifying.  Since they don't reprice 1 & 2 when you go to add a third, it's just the task of getting them to let you put 2 in the room that could possibly hold more?

[Dan83]

If I understand correctly, when I reprice, they will just drop the fare for 3rd and 4th passengers? 1st and second won’t be repriced also? That would be much cheaper than I expected because prices will surely rise in one years time. 

[ONECRUISER]

13 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 Not unless you change categories. 

Thanks, good to know. I'm always been one to add now rather then later anyway...

[AshleyDillo]

Just now, Dan83 said:

If I understand correctly, when I reprice, they will just drop the fare for 3rd and 4th passengers? 1st and second won’t be repriced also? That would be much cheaper than I expected because prices will surely rise in one years time. 

 

That is what I've been told, but then I was also told you have to book at least 3 people to lock in the 3/4 person price.  I'm sure our resident TA will chime in with his knowledge!

[spooky981]

I booked a November 2021 cruise on the first day it was available because 2br spacious aquatheater suites are also very rare. Then the day before Thanksgiving they came out with a 60% off and kids sail free promotion, only saved me $70 on a $12,000 bill.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

That is what I've been told, but then I was also told you have to book at least 3 people to lock in the 3/4 person price.  I'm sure our resident TA will chime in with his knowledge!

The rates are supposed to be locked in as of the day of the initial booking.  The issue that some face is that triples and quads cannot usually be booked unless there is 3 or 4 in a room.  Some book a cabin for 2 then go to add kids on a kids sail free and they have to change categories so they will be repriced to current rates which even though the cabin could be the exact same as the double with the exception of the sofabed or pullman they will pay more as Royal prices guests 1 and 2 higher than in a double cabin due to there being vastly fewer quad cabins.