RCL booking holding/Hiding cabins

[Georgeny]

Background, been cruising since 1980, was even a cruise only agent long ,long, ago. Have sailed multiple lines through years. I use a cruise agent who is excellent and a friend of 40 years plus. Point I am not new to making a darn reservation. Have sailed 4 cruises post pandemic since opened up.

 

Did as always do, looked online at RCL and picked a cruise and cabin. June 1 st 2023 9 day Cape Liberty NJ. Liberty of The Seas. Called my agent advised him to hold cabin I selected, then I would as always check calendar and with my wife, the boss of me. Agent holds cabin a Jr Suite as always but advises that the suite I want is not available because can hold up to 4 and will not give it to 2 of us. WHAT??? This is standard Jr guess couch opens. Never heard of such a thing neither has he.

 

I tried to call C &A hoping that they could fix this, we are Diamond Plus and hoped that would help. Crown and Anchor number switched over to reservations. Reservations said couldn't help but gave me another number 1-800-327-6700 top call customer assistance. I called that number and got the recording that they were backed up yada yada and I could try their webpage etc. We all know the drill now a days.

 

Few minutes later reservation lady I had spoken too called my house phone and she nicely said she could give me the cabin I wanted and make reservation right now. I asked if this would then be same reservation number and my agent booking? NO, have to be direct now, deposited now. I thanked her for her assistance but declined the offer. Obviously the suite is open but only if I book direct online or by phone, not through my agent. As I am sure many of you know, if you book online or direct you have to handle your own booking. If book through agent only agent can handle which is what I want, I do not wish to spend phone time with call in centers etc.

 

POINT, cabin is open but as a customer I can have it but ONLY if I go direct through them! Two people or four people no matter it's maybe if THEY book it for me. Wow, playing with what's available too I believe. Not so nice there RCL.

 

George in NY

[orville99]

You can book direct and then transfer the booking to your agent. I believe you have 60 days from the booking date to transfer the booking.

3 minutes ago, Georgeny said:

POINT, cabin is open but as a customer I can have it but ONLY if I go direct through them! Two people or four people no matter it's maybe if THEY book it for me. Wow, playing with what's available too I believe. Not so nice there RCL.

 

[HaveWeMetYet]

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

You can book direct and then transfer the booking to your agent. I believe you have 60 days from the booking date to transfer the booking.

 

I believe if you pay for the cruise entirely at booking or once it is payed off then you can't transfer it.

[Georgeny]

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

You can book direct and then transfer the booking to your agent. I believe you have 60 days from the booking date to transfer the booking.

 

 

Reservationist said now will be their booking. As I pointed out not new at this. Note I have a reservation HOLD pre-deposit but that cabin was not available as being held for FOUR person booking. Would not allow agent to book that suite did another on that floor. For a couple reasons don't wish that one location, adjoining etc.

[Georgeny]

2 minutes ago, HaveWeMetYet said:

I believe if you pay for the cruise entirely at booking or once it is payed off then you can't transfer it.

 Sorry I must not be communication well, this is NOT a paid or even yet deposited booking, this is a hold with a deposit date. Nothing being transferred.

 

[orville99]

2 minutes ago, Georgeny said:

 

Reservationist said now will be their booking. As I pointed out not new at this. Note I have a reservation HOLD pre-deposit but that cabin was not available as being held for FOUR person booking. Would not allow agent to book that suite did another on that floor. For a couple reasons don't wish that one location, adjoining etc.

Doesn't make any difference, you have total control to move the booking to your TA. BTW, I just checked RCL's site, and it is now 30 days, not 60.

Q

Can I transfer my reservation to a travel advisor if I purchased my cruise directly from Royal Caribbean?

A

 

 

Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Advisor up until 30 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment and the booking is not paid in full. If a booking has an Air2Sea ticket and/or the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer. If you would like to transfer your reservation to a travel advisor, please click the button provided below and complete the online form.

 

https://rccl.secure.force.com/directtransfers/DTTRoyal

[orville99]

5 minutes ago, HaveWeMetYet said:

I believe if you pay for the cruise entirely at booking or once it is payed off then you can't transfer it.

True.

[PhillyFan33579]

I am surprised the OP was not aware that cruise lines often won’t let two people book a cabin designated for 3 or more people, especially over holidays and during the Summer. I assume the OP is cruising during a lower demand time of the year since it appears they were able to book the cabin they wanted. 

[bigeagle12]

3 hours ago, orville99 said:

True.

You can transfer after final payment date .. just did it 2 months ago.  Also, the past several  years they have been trying to prevent 2 people from booking cabins for 3 and 4 .. especially balconies and suites. 

[Scottee25]

4 hours ago, Georgeny said:

BAgent holds cabin a Jr Suite as always but advises that the suite I want is not available because can hold up to 4 and will not give it to 2 of us. WHAT??? This is standard Jr guess couch opens. Never heard of such a thing neither has he.

 

Surprised your TA has never heard of this. This is very common on this class of ship. I have experienced it with this class on numerous occasions.  Questions I have for you...

 

If you attempt to do a mock booking on Royal's website for this sailing does the cabin show available when you select:

 

2 Passengers?

 

3 Passengers?

 

4 Passengers?

 

If you answer No, Yes, Yes then that would confirm that the cabin you want requires 3 or more people. I get that you were talk something by someone on the phone. I would also venture to say if you call back, you'll get a different answer. It's the nature of the beast with Royal's call center staff; they simply are not adequately trained on all matters.

[Georgeny]

9 hours ago, Scottee25 said:

 

Surprised your TA has never heard of this. This is very common on this class of ship. I have experienced it with this class on numerous occasions.  Questions I have for you...

 

If you attempt to do a mock booking on Royal's website for this sailing does the cabin show available when you select:

 

2 Passengers?

 

3 Passengers?

 

4 Passengers?

 

If you answer No, Yes, Yes then that would confirm that the cabin you want requires 3 or more people. I get that you were talk something by someone on the phone. I would also venture to say if you call back, you'll get a different answer. It's the nature of the beast with Royal's call center staff; they simply are not adequately trained on all matters.

 

Select was TWO passengers showed on inventory. My next post will followup as resolved.

 

Georg in NY

[Georgeny]

First thank all for your responses.  Later in evening my TA get ahold of reservations and made another reservation for the Jr Suite I wanted without question and even got a better price. He told me that they are so screwed up that all bookings depend now on if you get a reservationist that knows what they are doing coupled with the reservation system and how it working. From posts on RCL Boards I am told that the RCL system was having multiple outages and various problems most of yesterday. No matter my agent called later and was able to  courtesy hold exactly what I wanted without any difficulty. I will deposit after reviewing.

 

Cruising in all aspects has been a changing environment in the 38 years we have been sailing. After retiring from my first career one of my keep busy things was working for a cruise travel agency. At that time lines used printed brochure's with prices that were always DOUBLE what you usually sold the cruise for. Much like these BIG SALES giving large discounts for supposed short time. Notice how often they are extended. This particular cruise start price for my want is over $8000 but discounted by various  things to half of that. Somethings almost never change but when they do never in customer favor. Added NRD Non Refundable Discounts almost as good as some businesses gift cards that never get used increasing margins. That is why so many businesses only offer gift cards or in cruise cases Future Cruise Credits instead of real refunds when they can. Travel industry famous for that be it airline or hotel.

 

So was my whole thing manipulating inventory of system and staff problem? Probably both, they are overwhelmed land staff wise at this point I would bet. Inventory control has always been a legitimate element of reservations. If sale wasn't going as well more inventory might be opened up etc.

 

Cruises, it's a business and it is marketing.

 

George in NY

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

59 minutes ago, Georgeny said:

First thank all for your responses.  Later in evening my TA get ahold of reservations and made another reservation for the Jr Suite I wanted without question and even got a better price. He told me that they are so screwed up that all bookings depend now on if you get a reservationist that knows what they are doing coupled with the reservation system and how it working. From posts on RCL Boards I am told that the RCL system was having multiple outages and various problems most of yesterday. No matter my agent called later and was able to  courtesy hold exactly what I wanted without any difficulty. I will deposit after reviewing.

 

Cruising in all aspects has been a changing environment in the 38 years we have been sailing. After retiring from my first career one of my keep busy things was working for a cruise travel agency. At that time lines used printed brochure's with prices that were always DOUBLE what you usually sold the cruise for. Much like these BIG SALES giving large discounts for supposed short time. Notice how often they are extended. This particular cruise start price for my want is over $8000 but discounted by various  things to half of that. Somethings almost never change but when they do never in customer favor. Added NRD Non Refundable Discounts almost as good as some businesses gift cards that never get used increasing margins. That is why so many businesses only offer gift cards or in cruise cases Future Cruise Credits instead of real refunds when they can. Travel industry famous for that be it airline or hotel.

 

So was my whole thing manipulating inventory of system and staff problem? Probably both, they are overwhelmed land staff wise at this point I would bet. Inventory control has always been a legitimate element of reservations. If sale wasn't going as well more inventory might be opened up etc.

 

Cruises, it's a business and it is marketing.

 

George in NY

 

 

Had your TA actually called Royal when you first contacted them instead of relying on their booking engine about the cabin they could have secured you the cabin you wanted right from the start and save you a few phone calls and aggravation.  

[blueslily]

I usually make all my own cruise bookings. But, many people on here have about the benefits of using a TA so they dont have to deal with cruise lines, like Royal, directly. So, I'm curious why in this situation, the OP made those calls to Royal to figure out a solution versus the TA doing that work initially. I enjoy booking my own stuff because I enjoy the planning process and dont have many issues during 5hat process. But, if a person using a TA also has to contact Royal directly to problem solve, then I'm not sure why a TA is used. Why did the TA not just handle this entire situation? Just curious. 

[Georgeny]

The argument on whether or not to use a TA has two valid sides. Most of us now a days are now used to making reservations, ordering food, booking hotels and airlines. No wonder not much of a stretch to simply cut out the TA and book your own cruise. The advantage of doing so is being able to deal with the cruise line direct yourself. If you use a TA line will not deal with you directly and will advise you to call your TA. If you call or answer an email directly from line you are often still not dealing with the line. You are dealing with their contracted travel company. Yes it can be complicated.

 

Whether you book online or through a TA the basic pricing is the same. That said a skilled and knowledgeable TA, not all are either, might be aware of special discounts that are there for you IF you know to ask. In my case after all was said and done my TA not only got me in the cabin I wanted but also got me an additional $1336 dollars off the price by receiving TWO Non Refundable discounts I was not aware of existed.

 

Most people think that agent is making a pretty penny since we are paying a pretty penny. In honestly being an agent is a nice side line or for a retired person a nice keep busy job. Commissions have been eroded through the years by making pieces of the cost non-commissionable. They were never big enough money makers to make them full time jobs for most. Plus the bennies are few and far between. Most agents find that booking themselves as clients is better deal than getting agent rates since their rates are only available often a week or two before travel. That makes air and hotel rates much higher negating any savings on agent rate.

 

So to answer your question, because I have a very knowledgeable agent that is also a cruiseaholic as we used to say so I use him. If that wasn't the case I would consider booking myself as a knowledgable cruiser. Even with a knowledgable cruiser and a good agent who knows the produce stuff happens. I give my agent the cabin I want and rely on him to tell me if their is something I didn't know about location etc. Prior cruising agent says I can book same Jr Suite same location different floor $400 cheaper. I searched deck plans, internet reviews etc could not find any reason why less. Despite knowing there is always a reason I took the deal. Guess where the super large ice machine that all the stewards get their ice from was? Directly across from our door! We all know what a large ice machine sounds like dropping ice all night, plus stewards all shoveling ice from all morning and evening. We lived with it but would we get that cabin again, even for $400 off, no! Others certainly would I am sure. Relooking at deck plans realized there was a section blocked off interior side, means general storage work area or machine area. This is often fine but nothing says ice machine 🙂

 

BTW in this case the cabin number was Jr Suite J4  11626 Oasis of the Seas notice cabins often have little designation like J3 or J4 denoting to line different pricing based on location or some other classification. Cabins now a  days are modular and virtually all the same in size for most part. True unless they modified one to stick it somewhere. I included the dec plan picture. One more caution, when checking a deck plan ALWAYS use lines pages. You will many times see different dates listed as deck plans can change. A lot of these best cabin internet sites don't keep up.

 

Rates are set by the line and no agent can discount THEIR commission. Some offer gifts or on board credit but these are purchased by them online just as you would and cost the same. For years lines, air and sea, wanted to get rid of agents since their commission comes off lines bottom line. Airlines did for most part by making it virtually non-commissionable for agents. Between that and all the problems with cancels etc made agents virtually refuse to deal with air. Cruise lines found that they needed agents to SELL the product. Doing it solely by themselves didn't work. So using an agent adds no cost to you. And cruise reservationist are generally no better to deal with because you are the customer.

 

Sorry for long answer, you got me on a bad weather Sunday with nothing to do but read boards LOL.

 

George in NY

[BecciBoo]

On 11/18/2022 at 7:02 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

I am surprised the OP was not aware that cruise lines often won’t let two people book a cabin designated for 3 or more people, especially over holidays and during the Summer. I assume the OP is cruising during a lower demand time of the year since it appears they were able to book the cabin they wanted. 

"OFTEN"  This has not happened in over 25 years and 28 cruises with RCL we have done, every one of them booked by me, some transferred to an agent for perks.  Not until I go to book ICON did it change for us.  I have booked multiple cabins with 3 to 4 capacity for just the two of us, not until recently have I not been able to book any cabin I wanted with one exception, the Presidential Suite on Liberty, they specified we needed 5 to book it.  This was extremely frustrating as I was not allowed to book the cabin I really wanted!  That peeved me, but no amount of calling nor whom I called was going to secure me that cabin, so I took what I could. But I made sure they knew how stupid this was and how many customers would be removing 3rd or 4th person ASAP.  If and when this happens, I will surely move to the cabin I really wanted....IF AVAILABLE!  Which will probably not happen.

[not-enough-cruising]

Removing the extra guests from the presidential suite would not accomplish your expected result. If some early, the entire party would be removed from the room, if some late, the cruise line gets the fare for 5 and they are fine with that.