How Does Royal Handle Price Drops?

[sjmbruce]

Short version - We're booked but before final payment. The cruise is now listed on Royal's website as significantly cheaper than what we paid. Can we get that price? How does Royal handle price drops?

 

Longer version cause I'm wordy - My family (husband, mom, dad, sister, BIL, niece and nephew) booked a cruise for March of 2021. Before Royal cancelled the cruise, we all rebooked in December of 2021 for basically the same cruise in April 2022. Today I checked out the website for prices, and our April 2022 cruise is a lot cheaper now. Basically, if I cancelled our current booking and booked again, my husband and I would save almost $900. My parents $1400, and my sister's family  would save almost $2000 each on two rooms. We're before the final payment. Will Royal give us this price drop? Will they make us cancel and rebook? Unfortunately, at my dad's insistence, we are all booked through a travel agency (never again) so I know we'll have to contact them. I just find them shady so I'd like an answer from the fine people on this board who know more than me and probably more than the travel agency. 

 

Thanks!  

[HicksRA]

You can get the reduction but your TA has to do it. 
Royal won’t talk to you. 

[Kathscof]

And you don’t have to cancel! It’s called a “reprice”.

 

My my friend and I booked in July for May 2022 and have repriced three times I think? With their weird cruise ship math, it has gone down 25% of the listed price, but 10% after all the fees and the tips we already added in.....

 

but yes, the TA can do it for you....

[poocher]

Take a screen shot of each reservation’s new price in case your TA is a little slow.  But really this shouldn’t be an issue.  They do it all the time.

[crzndeb]

You can keep repricing before final payment, and it will be less you owe at final payment. With CWC right now, they are giving you OBC for any drops after final payment. I just got $200 OBC on a B2B cruise in Oct.

[ChristinaP252]

If you booked through a TA - call them and they will call Royal and verify the drop. If you've NOT made final payment - the amount will be deducted from remaining payments. If you HAVE made final payment - the amount will be given to you as OBC by RCCL. I got $267 OBC last week!

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, ChristinaP252 said:

If you booked through a TA - call them and they will call Royal and verify the drop. If you've NOT made final payment - the amount will be deducted from remaining payments. If you HAVE made final payment - the amount will be given to you as OBC by RCCL. I got $267 OBC last week!

It doesn't matter whether you have made final payment or not. It matters whether you are past the final payment date or not. Some people, for reasons that I'll never understand, like to give their money to RCI sooner than they have to.

[tserface]

I don’t think there are many cruises where we haven’t had at least one price drop! It’s always fun to get a better deal.

[Jasukkie]

I have $1264 in OBC for my next cruise due to price drops. I wonder how many people don't know to check and get their money. I wouldn't have known if not for this message board.

[What We Found Travelling]

Royal told me today repricing is only valid on cruises sailing before 30th April 2022.  Any cruise sailing after that date can’t be repriced.  The “Best Price Guarantee” is only valid until that date, & normally cruises cannot be repriced only cancelled & rebooked. Hence, NRD & OBC will be lost.  

I’d like to know what the experts on here believe to be true.

 

[Ocean Boy]

40 minutes ago, RKHOOKER said:

Royal told me today repricing is only valid on cruises sailing before 30th April 2022.  Any cruise sailing after that date can’t be repriced.  The “Best Price Guarantee” is only valid until that date, & normally cruises cannot be repriced only cancelled & rebooked. Hence, NRD & OBC will be lost.  

I’d like to know what the experts on here believe to be true.

 

That may be true for Australian booked cruises. However, not for US booked cruises.

[Biker19]

51 minutes ago, RKHOOKER said:

I’d like to know what the experts on here believe to be true.

 

T&C from the Aussie site:

 

30. PRICE PROTECTION

Should a lower standard fare or different promotional offer become available after you have confirmed your booking but before the final payment deadline (75 days for standard cruises and 90 days for Holiday, Trans-Pacific and Asia Reposition cruises), then a request to reprice your booking to the lower fare or promotion can be submitted. The lower fare and/or promotion may be applied if proof of the lower fare and/or promotional offer has been provided in order to qualify the request. The lower fare and/or promotional offer must be:

• 1. For the same ship, sail date, stateroom category and numbers of guests
  2. Be available at the time of the price protection request and advertised and bookable by the general public
  3. The policy does not apply to promotional rates including, but not limited to, group rates, travel agent rates, friends & family rates, contracted rates & casino offers.
  4. The policy does not apply to guests booked within a contracted group

NOTE: If either the new lower fare or promotional offer does not combine with any promotion associated with the existing booking, or changes are being made outside of the promotional booking window, the existing promotion will be removed.

 

The Royal Caribbean Price Protection policy is available on all Royal Caribbean cruises booked on or after 11^th June 2020. If your booking meets the above requirements, then a price protection claim form must be completed. Our team will review the price protection request and where eligible, process the fare change and send an updated email confirmation with the new booking details.

[thethreeofus]

10 hours ago, RKHOOKER said:

Royal told me today repricing is only valid on cruises sailing before 30th April 2022.  Any cruise sailing after that date can’t be repriced.  The “Best Price Guarantee” is only valid until that date, & normally cruises cannot be repriced only cancelled & rebooked. Hence, NRD & OBC will be lost.  

I’d like to know what the experts on here believe to be true.

 

Not true in my case. Our cruise is booked for September 2022.  The price, due to sales, has dropped three times in the past 4 months.  I have called and “repriced” each time.  So far I have saved $887. No hassle at all. Just call and ask.  I always have them email me a new invoice while I have them on the phone.  

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, thethreeofus said:

Not true in my case. Our cruise is booked for September 2022.  The price, due to sales, has dropped three times in the past 4 months.  I have called and “repriced” each time.  So far I have saved $887. No hassle at all. Just call and ask.  

The poster is from Australia where they have different non-COVID era rules. 

[What We Found Travelling]

On 10/8/2021 at 11:44 PM, Biker19 said:

T&C from the Aussie site:

 

30. PRICE PROTECTION

Should a lower standard fare or different promotional offer become available after you have confirmed your booking but before the final payment deadline (75 days for standard cruises and 90 days for Holiday, Trans-Pacific and Asia Reposition cruises), then a request to reprice your booking to the lower fare or promotion can be submitted. The lower fare and/or promotion may be applied if proof of the lower fare and/or promotional offer has been provided in order to qualify the request. The lower fare and/or promotional offer must be:

• 1. For the same ship, sail date, stateroom category and numbers of guests
  2. Be available at the time of the price protection request and advertised and bookable by the general public
  3. The policy does not apply to promotional rates including, but not limited to, group rates, travel agent rates, friends & family rates, contracted rates & casino offers.
  4. The policy does not apply to guests booked within a contracted group

NOTE: If either the new lower fare or promotional offer does not combine with any promotion associated with the existing booking, or changes are being made outside of the promotional booking window, the existing promotion will be removed.

 

The Royal Caribbean Price Protection policy is available on all Royal Caribbean cruises booked on or after 11^th June 2020. If your booking meets the above requirements, then a price protection claim form must be completed. Our team will review the price protection request and where eligible, process the fare change and send an updated email confirmation with the new booking details.

Biker,

 

I called Royal today just before their sale ended & just happened to get the same consultant who knocked back my cruise reprice from the other day.  I asked him again very nicely.  After 20 minutes on hold he came back & quoted the CWC Best Price Guarantee cut off date of 30th April 2022 & said unfortunately he can’t help me with a reprice as my cruise is in July 2022.  I told him I have no interest in CWC, & quoted him clause 30 of Royals FULL Terms & Conditions.  After holding for another 45 minutes he told me he’s escalating the inquiry to his superior as he has never seen clause 30!  After another 30 minutes on hold he confirmed that I was correct & my B2B cruises are eligible for a reprice.  He did say this on closing… Royal will agree to the reprice as it’s listed in their Terms & Conditions, but, they intend to make changes to the clause in the near future.  Very strange… but happy days for me!