Paying off cruise /price drop

[Mum2Mercury]

How's Royal handling this lately?  

You pay off your cruise, then a price drop comes along?  

[smokeybandit]

7 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

You pay off your cruise, then a price drop comes along?  

You're out of luck. I had one do just that this week.

 

[MommaBear55]

If it's before the final payment date, you can get a refund. If it's after the final payment, you are out of luck. I don't look again after the final payment date. It's not worth it!

[Another_Critic]

50 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

If it's before the final payment date, you can get a refund. If it's after the final payment, you are out of luck. I don't look again after the final payment date. It's not worth it!

 

Why not look to see if a higher category dropped and get a free or reasonable priced upgrade?

[Engineroom Snipe]

I find it interesting that this subject even came up after last year's record breaking prices that saw absolutely no price drops before final payment. In every case, they seemed to soar upwards.

 

I sense a weakness in prices going into the midsummer prices as opposed to last year's extraordinary prices in July and August.

 

I have shadow-boxed interior room availability on August and September cruises for multiple ports and found them unchanged.

 

An example, Baltimore, 9 days, August 8, 2024, 100 interior rooms have been available for the entire month of January, no change.

 

Think about it, a fully booked ship with only one pool for everyone and one pool in the Solarium.

 

At the last minute, "Kids Sail Free" in order to fill the ship to capacity.

 

Where do all of the under age of 18 go?

 

I have children. I love children. Do I want to fight say, 800 to 1,000 children in one pool or two whirlpools?

 

I will pass on this one like it seems so many  others have already done. A summer cruise which has so many free rooms  at a very low price is a harbinger of change for "Royal".

 

Very interesting.

[alfaeric]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

 

Why not look to see if a higher category dropped and get a free or reasonable priced upgrade?

That's been our strategy for many years.  Way, way before COVID.  

[fsjosh]

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I find it interesting that this subject even came up after last year's record breaking prices that saw absolutely no price drops before final payment. In every case, they seemed to soar upwards.

 

 

 

I got my room repriced downwards 3 times over the last year. 

[ONECRUISER]

3 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I find it interesting that this subject even came up after last year's record breaking prices that saw absolutely no price drops before final payment. In every case, they seemed to soar upwards.

 

I sense a weakness in prices going into the midsummer prices as opposed to last year's extraordinary prices in July and August.

 

I have shadow-boxed interior room availability on August and September cruises for multiple ports and found them unchanged.

 

An example, Baltimore, 9 days, August 8, 2024, 100 interior rooms have been available for the entire month of January, no change.

 

Think about it, a fully booked ship with only one pool for everyone and one pool in the Solarium.

 

At the last minute, "Kids Sail Free" in order to fill the ship to capacity.

 

Where do all of the under age of 18 go?

 

I have children. I love children. Do I want to fight say, 800 to 1,000 children in one pool or two whirlpools?

 

I will pass on this one like it seems so many  others have already done. A summer cruise which has so many free rooms  at a very low price is a harbinger of change for "Royal".

 

Very interesting.

Yes rare now but just got 3 price Drops on Feb/Mar 2025 and waited 2 weeks to Book an April 2024 Cruise and price dropped by 50%... Oh and I do longer Cruises on older Ships usually only 10-25 Kids a Sailing

Edited January 25 by ONECRUISER

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Yes rare now but just got 3 price Drops on Feb/Mar 2025 and waited 2 weeks to Book an April 2024 Cruise and price dropped by 50%... Oh and I do longer Cruises on older Ships usually only 10-25 Kids a Sailing

My emphasis on above line.

 

I do longer cruises on older ships also and I notice very few children but did one summer cruise when school was out and I try to avoid them now.

 

This one caught my eye because it was a summer cruise when more children would be available without regard to how long the cruise was.

 

April 10, 2025, out of Baltimore on the Vision, they are already advertising "Kids Sail Free" for instance and that is an eight day I have booked a specific interior at a very good price at the time. "Royal" keeps trying to bump the price up every two or three weeks but the price eventually goes back to the original lower price. Royal only in the past two weeks started advertising it as Kids Sail Free for that particular cruise. They are trying different bait on the hook because the fish do not seem to be biting the current pricing.

 

We discussed on other threads how some long time customers were considering other lines for a test cruise. They still will cruise "Royal" but maybe not as much.

 

The other factor is still being decided, how many revenge cruisers that paid premium prices on their first family cruise are coming back for more?

 

Demand is high but as we are discussing, not as high as last year if we are getting price adjustments on existing cruises.

[Mum2Mercury]

Thanks for the info, Folks.  I knew what the rule used to be, but I wasn't sure if it'd changed.  I'm subbing for a teacher who just had a baby, and I kinda wish I hadn't promised to work five days a week -- but I have some "extra" money coming in, and I was considering paying things off early.  

 

Thoughts: 

- I saw a couple price drops last year, but not as many as in the past.  

- I agree that it's smart NOT to check prices after your final payment date.  

- I'm not really interested in upgrading my room.  I'd rather have the savings.  

- We don't sail in the summer for three reasons:  high prices, too-hot weather, too-crowded ships.  Being retired /having more control of your schedule is pretty sweet!  

- I see signs that last year's high number of cruisers is dropping off.  Within the last week I've received some really advertisements with really low prices (not from Royal, but what happens in one part of the industry will happen in other parts).  

 

Thanks again for your help.  

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

- I'm not really interested in upgrading my room.  I'd rather have the savings.  

 

The idea there was what you already have paid might be enough to cover a better room.  No additional cost to you.

[cruiseguy1016]

16 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Thanks for the info, Folks.  I knew what the rule used to be, but I wasn't sure if it'd changed.  I'm subbing for a teacher who just had a baby, and I kinda wish I hadn't promised to work five days a week -- but I have some "extra" money coming in, and I was considering paying things off early.  

 

Thanks again for your help.  

 

You can pay it off early and it will not affect your ability to qualify for a price drop. It does not matter what date you pay the full amount, what matters is the date that final payment is due, usually 90 days before sail date. Those could be two very different dates. Even if you pay in full the day you book your cruise, you will still qualify for price drops until the date that final payment is due.

[Mum2Mercury]

25 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

The idea there was what you already have paid might be enough to cover a better room.  No additional cost to you.

I understand, but I always choose what I know I'll be happy with.  I'd rather have the savings /a refund rather than "move up" in room category.  

3 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

You can pay it off early and it will not affect your ability to qualify for a price drop.

And THAT was my real question!  I knew what the rule used to be, but I wasn't sure whether it had changed. 

 

Thanks to all!

[smokeybandit]

7 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I understand, but I always choose what I know I'll be happy with.  I'd rather have the savings /a refund rather than "move up" in room category.  

Ah, I got it. A reduced price is better than upgrading for what you already paid. I agree. 

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I understand, but I always choose what I know I'll be happy with.  I'd rather have the savings /a refund rather than "move up" in room category.  

 

The upgrade is an option for after final payment date, where there is no option for a price reduction/refund on your original booking.

[LobsterStalker]

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I understand, but I always choose what I know I'll be happy with.  I'd rather have the savings /a refund rather than "move up" in room category.  

Ah, I got it. A reduced price is better than upgrading for what you already paid. I agree.

You'd RATHER have Savings/Refund ...Agreed ! But to Smokey's original point , If Plan A: having that refund is NOT an option , And Plan B: taking advantage of the opportunity to upgrade for free IS an option , Does that not then become a good option ? 

 

 

Edit...Hadn't read Another_Critic response . sorry for the repitition

 

Cheers

Edited January 25 by LobsterStalker

[Tree_skier]

7 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

The other factor is still being decided, how many revenge cruisers that paid premium prices on their first family cruise are coming back for more?

I think this is a very important point... My suspicion is that current demand is a surge and not something that will be sustained over the long time.

[cruiseguy1016]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

My suspicion is that current demand is a surge and not something that will be sustained over the long time.

 

We can only hope.

[ONECRUISER]

16 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Demand is high but as we are discussing, not as high as last year if we are getting price adjustments on existing cruises.

Good to hear. Though future prices still up to almost what they were peak of 30-35yrs ago at least some reductions have been coming later similar to pre-CV when Booking a Cruise day of release likely many would have price reductions later

Edited January 26 by ONECRUISER

[ThirstyCruiser]

On 1/25/2024 at 1:53 PM, Tree_skier said:

I think this is a very important point... My suspicion is that current demand is a surge and not something that will be sustained over the long time.

Have all the Pandemic +125% and +150% credits worked their way thru the system? I have to think Royal had no issue giving those out like candy knowing they would just jack the prices up to deal with that candy.

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 hours ago, ThirstyCruiser said:

Have all the Pandemic +125% and +150% credits worked their way thru the system? I have to think Royal had no issue giving those out like candy knowing they would just jack the prices up to deal with that candy.

Your observation about how many credits are left in the system is accurate. To the best of my calculations, most of them had to be applied to cruises by last December of 2023.

 

The spring and early summer of 2024 still seem to be strong but not as good as 2023.

 

Big wildcards, long time repeat cruisers maybe considering a test of another line.

 

First time cruisers might not repeat at the same price.

 

The summer bookings are strong but not at the high prices of last year.

 

2025 prices are soft.

 

One year at a time.