Ok, explain the NEXTCruise option

[flagger]

Has anyone booked a cruise onboard since the NextCruise option went into affect? How long is the open booking for? How much was your non-refundable deposit? If you had a date in mind, could you use the nextcruise option or did you have to pay the applicable deposit then or when you returned. (eg. I was able to push my deposit due date last time I booked until the next credit card cycle began).

 

Thanks

[critterchick]

I don't think the NextCruise program is available yet. It was announced by the LA on our December 2 sailing, and she thought it would be implemented in the first quarter of 2007, which has only just begun.

[Nitra]

Found the following on the RCCL website

 

Enhancements to Future Booking Onboard Program

For the cruise line's loyal cruisers, Royal Caribbean has devised the NextCruise option to ease the planning of a guest's next cruise. The new program allows vacationers enjoying a Royal Caribbean cruise to book their next cruise vacation without having to commit to a specific date or itinerary. By paying a nominal, non-refundable deposit, guests are eligible to receive an onboard credit to use on their next cruise. Royal Caribbean will notify the guest's travel agent when a NextCruise booking has been made and once the guest has decided on a sail date and ship, they can work with their preferred travel partner to process the booking. Deposits have no expiration and travel agents will receive full commission and revenue credit for the reservation.

 

An additional enhancement to the future booking onboard program enables guests booking a future cruise while onboard a ship to retain their onboard credit for their next cruise vacation even if their travel agent applies their FIT reservation toward a group booking. Travel agents will be able to apply relevant group amenities to these guests.

 

 

As for deposits for onboard bookings, I had to pay on board, they would not let me wait until I got home.

[flagger]

I don't think the NextCruise program is available yet. It was announced by the LA on our December 2 sailing, and she thought it would be implemented in the first quarter of 2007, which has only just begun.

Hmmm it was announced back in early December. I wonder if anyone has tried to book on board since the announcement who has a report?

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

Would like to hear from someone who has current information for NextCruise bookings as deposits quoted above were pre NextCruise.

 

Hi there, How's the hand doing. I'll be on Jewel next week and I intend to book so I'll let you know how much it costs me and how it's explained to me. Sheila.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Hi there, How's the hand doing. I'll be on Jewel next week and I intend to book so I'll let you know how much it costs me and how it's explained to me. Sheila.

 

My hand is doing better............thanks for asking. Not back to normal but, hopefully, will be soon. Enjoy your Jewel cruise. I'm anxious to hear the "real deal" about the new onboard booking process.

[AFT_LOVER]

(love the redial button) to get a knowledgeable person.

 

Nextcruise in NOT in effect. The press release was an announcement of an idea. They have heard the thumbs down on $250 PP deposit, so that is one point being discussed.

 

A new press release will come out when it will announce the start date, deposit amount, and what the OBC will be also. Since you do not have to book a specific cruise onboard they may just take the deposit of $250 PP for a one week cruise giving $100 OBC. If you book longer with your TA then they will charge the additional deposit for $450PP and you get $200 OBC.

 

So we patiently wait.................

 

Also, very interesting, as I asked if she read CC. She stated they are NOT ALLOWED TO. She asked if I post to Grocery store critics, gas station critics, and then went off the wall on Nirovirus that it is not cruiseship only! I told her to calm down that I never mentioned any of this & I agree with alot of her ideas, but give me a break. 5 phonecalls to get a correct answer? The other 4 had no idea what NextCruise was.

[silentbob007]

I inquired about this with the C&A rep on my cruise last week. She told me that it was not in effect, but that she had just been in a conference call about it. She told me that the deposit is $100/pp, non-refundable, and must be used in three years. She was not sure about what the benefits would be for that type of booking.

[sueb]

Just off the NOS . This option was not ineffect. We were required to pay 250.00/pp (750.00 for triple occ.) for our upcoming cruise in April. The only bonus for us was the 100.00/cabin (based on double occupancy of course) OBC. We did recieve our plat. discount on the pricing of our Balc cabin.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Any updates on NextCruise? Wondering when it is scheduled to take effect?

[flagger]

According to Cindy, the LA on FOS, NEXTCruise is to start in two weeks.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

According to Cindy, the LA on FOS, NEXTCruise is to start in two weeks.

 

Thanks for the update.....................we'll check it out on Monarch Feb 5.

[jennztx]

I booked an upcoming 7 night cruise onboard a previous cruise, made the $250 pp deposit, and should be receiving a $100/cabin OBC. They told me if I transfer the booking to another cruise my OBC should move along with it. If I switch to a 5 night cruise is the OBC less? Any advice for making sure my travel agent who now holds the booking gets my reservations transferred correctly so that I keep the OBC. Do the travel agents see something in the booking denoting the OBC? Also, I had 3 cabins booked previously. If I book 5 cabins on the cruise I'm transferring to any chance they can get the OBC also? (all this was done pre-NextCruise)

[LidoBoy]

This is the first I have heard of this program. They have always had a "book on board" program that gave you OBC on your next cruise. What is the benefit of this program. The one aspect that I noticed is that your deposit is non-refundable. If this is true then that is the difference. The current program allows you to book any cruise (shorter in length the better to minimize the deposit amount) then you can change it to whatever cruise you want on a later date and you get the earned OBC (as long as you keep the same booking number, as I have heard that is the key to the OBC). But if you decided to not cruise, you could get the deposit refunded back. This was my impression. I have been wrong before, but not yet this year. ;) What is so great about this new program.

 

We are hoping to book a back 2 back for 2008 on our next cruise in two weeks. If I get news, I will share.

[nddomer04]

This is the first I have heard of this program. They have always had a "book on board" program that gave you OBC on your next cruise. What is the benefit of this program. The one aspect that I noticed is that your deposit is non-refundable. If this is true then that is the difference. The current program allows you to book any cruise (shorter in length the better to minimize the deposit amount) then you can change it to whatever cruise you want on a later date and you get the earned OBC (as long as you keep the same booking number, as I have heard that is the key to the OBC). But if you decided to not cruise, you could get the deposit refunded back. This was my impression. I have been wrong before, but not yet this year. ;) What is so great about this new program.

 

We are hoping to book a back 2 back for 2008 on our next cruise in two weeks. If I get news, I will share.

 

Ok, here's the advantage of this program.....You may put a deposit down on an itinerary that has NOT been released yet and still receive the on-board credit. So, this way, you are basically saying "I am going to be gonig on another RCI cruise in the next three years, I just don't know when." That is the purpose of the program....

 

For example....My wife and I are planning an Alaskan Cruisetour for 2008, but those dates probably won't be released until late April. Well, we are going on the Navigator in March. Obviously, we wouldn't be able to book the '08 Alaska cruise at that point and receive the onboard credit. Soooo, RCI is allowing you to put a deposit down and still receive the on-board credit, even though you didn't actually book the cruise.

 

Without the NextCruise program, my wife and I would not be able to book the '08 cruise on the March cruise, and thus, we would not receive an on-board credit for booking on-board.

 

I hope that all makes sense! :)

[peagreenid]

This sounds very much like the current FCC Future Cruise Credit Princess currently has in place and I LOVE IT! It really is a no-brainer. If you plan on sailing again, you pay $100 deposit and it is good for ANY future cruise, combinable with any other discounts etc. within a 4 year period. The SBC's Princess offers fluctuates based on Cabin, Inside or outside and length of sailing up to $150 per person. They also offer these with a SHARE THE WEALTH so that you can offer friends/family that didn't sail with you, the ability to book and also earn ship board credits.

 

Smiles Patty

[nddomer04]

This sounds very much like the current FCC Future Cruise Credit Princess currently has in place and I LOVE IT! It really is a no-brainer. If you plan on sailing again, you pay $100 deposit and it is good for ANY future cruise, combinable with any other discounts etc. within a 4 year period. The SBC's Princess offers fluctuates based on Cabin, Inside or outside and length of sailing up to $150 per person. They also offer these with a SHARE THE WEALTH so that you can offer friends/family that didn't sail with you, the ability to book and also earn ship board credits.

 

Smiles Patty

 

Yep, from what I hear, this seems to be the consensus.

[nddomer04]

According to Cindy, the LA on FOS, NEXTCruise is to start in two weeks.

 

Hopefully, we should start hearing some info soon!

[hcviana]

What is the OBC per stateroom for 5 day cruises???

[seahags]

...forgive me if I've missed this is scanning the thread, but how will this address the different amounts of OBC? Some of the larger amounts (and they can be substantial) are awarded for booking longer, or often European cruises...seems to me that there'd be no control if it's just an "open" credit??? Even though the deposit amount seems to be smaller, JMHO that it would be outweighed by the advantage of a "real" moveable:confused: rez carrying the larger credit forward?

[Lynnees]

Just off the Serenade. I wanted to do this but this is what happened:

 

I asked the LA, she said oh yes, we can do that. She proceeded to book me on a cruise (any cruise) as far out as she could get (April 2008) and then charged my cc the full deposit amount. Since it was a 10 day cruise, I was charged $1396.00. I would guess she had no clue what I was talking about. I will probably cancel this as it is not what I wanted.

 

Too bad they really don't know what they are doing. They should not have announced the program until they were going to implement it.

[Aprille]

...forgive me if I've missed this is scanning the thread, but how will this address the different amounts of OBC? Some of the larger amounts (and they can be substantial) are awarded for booking longer, or often European cruises...seems to me that there'd be no control if it's just an "open" credit??? Even though the deposit amount seems to be smaller, JMHO that it would be outweighed by the advantage of a "real" moveable:confused: rez carrying the larger credit forward?

Hi, Eileen! How ya doing? :)

 

What I have gleaned from this thread so far is that you will pay a $100 p/p NON-refundable deposit that is good for 3 years. Once you actually pick the cruise you want to take the deposit and OBC will be adjusted accordingly.

 

If that's the way it works it sounds great to me!

 

I'm on the Splendour tomorrow. Hopefully we will have a knowledgeable LA (yeah, right! :rolleyes: ) and I'll see what I can find out. More then likely we'll get an LA like Lynnees just described above. :p

[flagger]

That $1396 is such a weird number for a deposit when it should be $450 per person on a cruise of that length.

 

I can only tell you what I asked and the LA on Freedom sent an emal and got an answer back that it would start in two weeks. We sailed on 7 Jan 07.

 

I can only speculate that the OBC would be forfeited if you choose the NEXTCruise option. You pay a smaller deposit which is good for three years, but because they have no idea what length of cruise you will take the OBC will be nullified because the management of such would be impossible. Again that is only speculation.

 

How does Princess do their open bookings with regards to OBC?

[Lynnees]

Princess assigns your $50 for OBC however once you've actually booked the OBC changes accordingly.

 

I know that amount is weird, but that seems to be what they charge for bookings above 7 days. I don't know where they arrive at that amount. I do know it's not what I wanted or was willing to do, however it's easy enough to deal with - I just have to cancel.

[Aprille]

I can only speculate that the OBC would be forfeited if you choose the NEXTCruise option.

Then what would be the point? Why would anyone put down a non-refundable deposit with no incentive?

 

My speculation is as stated in my last reply to this thread. You put down a small non-refundable deposit that is good for 3 years (or whatever specified time they determine). Once you select your cruise the deposit and OBC is adjusted accordingly.

 

If you get no OBC why bother? Just book whenever you want with a fully refundable deposit.