What is "Next Cruise Booking"

[waterbugohio]

Several people on these boards talk about "next cruise bookings"

 

What is this? What kind of savings?? Should I be prepared to talk my husband into a second cruise while we are on the first one??

[FL_Cruiser64]

Several people on these boards talk about "next cruise bookings"

 

What is this? What kind of savings?? Should I be prepared to talk my husband into a second cruise while we are on the first one??

 

In a nut shell:

 

NextCruise is a commitment to a future cruise which is unspecified in date, itinerary and ship.

 

For each person on NextCruise you have to pay $100. The down payment will be deducted from your initial deposit when you decide on a cruise i.e. if You book a NextCruise with one person on you pay $100. You decide on a 7-Night cruise then your deposit will be $400 ($500-$100).

 

NextCruise also gives you OBC in the amounts of $50, $100 and $200. In the example of a 7-Night you would receive $100 in OBC.

 

NextCruise does not expire and you can change reservations but you can not cancel. You will lose the down payment of NextCruise.

 

With the NextCruise you get two Friends and Family coupons. If you convert NextCruise into a real booking within 30 days of the NextCruise date (usually the last day of your cruise when you paid for your NextCruise) and you have friends or family members join you on the same cruise you can use these coupons to assign OBC (same as NextCruise) to their reservation.

 

I personally make sure that I have at all times 4 NCs.

[pmfan]

 

With the NextCruise you get two Friends and Family coupons. If you convert NextCruise into a real booking within 30 days of the NextCruise date (usually the last day of your cruise when you paid for your NextCruise) and you have friends or family members join you on the same cruise you can use these coupons to assign OBC (same as NextCruise) to their reservation.

 

I was under the impression that when you booked using the Next Cruise Certificate that your Friends and Family Certificates were valid for thirty days. Thirty days from your booking date, not from purchase date. Could someone please clarify?

[waterbugohio]

But your not really getting a discount??? Just a paying less deposit up front?? Plus the $100 OBC

 

Either I'm not understanding or there really is no savings.

[cruisenfever]

I was under the impression that when you booked using the Next Cruise Certificate that your Friends and Family Certificates were valid for thirty days. Thirty days from your booking date, not from purchase date. Could someone please clarify?

That's correct.......a F&F certificate that is linked to a NextCruise must be used within 30 days after a NextCruise booking has been changed to a specific ship/itinerary/sailing date.

[cruisenfever]

Several people on these boards talk about "next cruise bookings"

 

What is this? What kind of savings?? Should I be prepared to talk my husband into a second cruise while we are on the first one??

Here is a link that has a lengthy discussion regarding NextCruise

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=651344

[cruisenfever]

But your not really getting a discount??? Just a paying less deposit up front?? Plus the $100 OBC

 

Either I'm not understanding or there really is no savings.

That's true, you are not getting a discount. However, if there is a particular ship/itinerary that you are interested in and it has not been released yet, the NextCruise will enable you to book from home and still get the OBC that you would get if you booked on a ship.

 

The nonrefundable deposit will just be subtracted from the deposit required when you actually book a cruise.

[FL_Cruiser64]

That's correct.......a F&F certificate that is linked to a NextCruise must be used within 30 days after a NextCruise booking has been changed to a specific ship/itinerary/sailing date.

 

Sorry, that is incorrect. The FF coupon has to be used within 30 days of the issue date of the NC.

 

It says CLEARLY under the terms and condition of the FF coupon:

Bookings must be made within 30 days of certificate issue

[cruisenfever]

Sorry, that is incorrect. The FF coupon has to be used within 30 days of the issue date of the NC.

 

It says CLEARLY under the terms and condition of the FF coupon:

Bookings must be made within 30 days of certificate issue

You have to read beyond that statement.........That is only when the Certificate for F&F is given out when a specific cruise is booked on a ship............then they have to be used within 30 days. ..........but I can guarantee you that they do not have to be used within 30 when they are used with a NextCruise booking.

 

When Certificates for F&F are given out with a NextCruise, then those certificates must be used within 30 days of when the NextCruise is turned into a real cruise. They are linked together by the booking number that has been assigned to the NextCruise (which is actually an inactive number until a real cruise has been booked) and there is also a Certificate number that is used also.

 

Wouldn't make much sense to give out those certificates with NextCruise bookings if they had to be used within 30 days of purchase............and a NextCruise is good indefinitely.:confused::confused:

 

You are more than welcome to email Alaufer@rccl.com to confirm what I have just posted.

[pmfan]

Sorry, that is incorrect. The FF coupon has to be used within 30 days of the issue date of the NC.

 

It says CLEARLY under the terms and condition of the FF coupon:

Bookings must be made within 30 days of certificate issue

I do believe those certificates were printed up wrong. :confused:

[crusinmama06]

Sorry, that is incorrect. The FF coupon has to be used within 30 days of the issue date of the NC.

 

It says CLEARLY under the terms and condition of the FF coupon:

Bookings must be made within 30 days of certificate issue

 

Now I have another question. Some of my friends were on a cruise and told the LA that they needed Next Cruise for Genesis...which obviously the dates aren't released for yet. So they were given an open Next Cruise and were told that they could use their certificates whenever the dates were released. And the friends/family certificates would be valid at that point in time.

 

The FF certificate I was given doesn't have a date on it...it was left blank.

 

So now what?

[land lover]

Now I have another question. Some of my friends were on a cruise and told the LA that they needed Next Cruise for Genesis...which obviously the dates aren't released for yet. So they were given an open Next Cruise and were told that they could use their certificates whenever the dates were released. And the friends/family certificates would be valid at that point in time.

 

The FF certificate I was given doesn't have a date on it...it was left blank.

 

So now what?

 

It will be valid for 3O days after the deposit is made.

One LA left mine blank as well and when I questioned her she

told me I would just fill in the date when I made my deposit.

[cruisenfever]

Here is the email that I received on October 26, 2007 regarding the Certificates for F&F................

 

Dear Patti,

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for emailing us in regards to the NextCruise program. NextCruise is a new program that allows guests and travel partners to create bookings onboard without having to make a quick decision on what ship or sail date their future cruise will be on. Below is an overview of how NextCruise works:

 

All bookings are created as guarantees and cruise only. Dining and onboard credit are not assigned until a ship and sail date are chosen. Onboard credit amount is dependant on the length of sailing. A $100 non-refundable deposit per person is collected at time of making the NextCruise booking(Single = $100, Double = $200). The NextCruise booking has no expiration and can be converted at any time. Bookings can be converted to any available Royal Caribbean ship and sail date and there are no restrictions regarding itinerary or dates. After the booking is converted to an actual ship and sail date the Coupon Redemption Team will enter the onboard credit value. The remaining balance of deposit will be due according to the converted bookings option date. If the booking is made with a travel agency, a confirmation letter is faxed to them once the booking is made onboard. A confirmation letter is emailed to the guest once the booking is made onboard. This promotion is for US & Canadian guests only. Puerto Rican citizens are not eligible at the moment.

 

In addition, when a guest makes a NextCruise booking on board, they can also obtain two NextCruise certificates to give to friends or family. The certificate will entitle the bearer to make a booking on the same ship and sail date the original booking is made on and receive the onboard credit. Loyalty agents will be the only shoreside personnel that can make these bookings. The original certificates must be received by Loyalty for processing. Copies and duplicates will not be accepted.

The program also allows the guests to join a group booking where they may retain their onboard cruise credit in addition to the group amenities already established.

I hope this clears up the confusion with having a NextCruise booking made on board our cruise ships.

Patti, we look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon.

Regards,

 

Aaron Laufer

Supervisor

Loyalty Service Center

Trade Support & Services

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

316-554-5759

Alaufer@rccl.com

 

[land lover]

In a nut shell:

 

NextCruise is a commitment to a future cruise which is unspecified in date, itinerary and ship.

 

For each person on NextCruise you have to pay $100. The down payment will be deducted from your initial deposit when you decide on a cruise i.e. if You book a NextCruise with one person on you pay $100. You decide on a 7-Night cruise then your deposit will be $400 ($500-$100).

 

NextCruise also gives you OBC in the amounts of $50, $100 and $200. In the example of a 7-Night you would receive $100 in OBC.

 

NextCruise does not expire and you can change reservations but you can not cancel. You will lose the down payment of NextCruise.

 

With the NextCruise you get two Friends and Family coupons. If you convert NextCruise into a real booking within 30 days of the NextCruise date (usually the last day of your cruise when you paid for your NextCruise) and you have friends or family members join you on the same cruise you can use these coupons to assign OBC (same as NextCruise) to their reservation.

 

I personally make sure that I have at all times 4 NCs.

 

 

I think this statement is a little misleading,at least the way I read it because you only need one Next cruise for just one person in a cabin in order to get the OBC.

 

I do have a question though can you make a next cruise for people that are not sailing with you?

[doctorwhofan]

Ok, please tell me more about the Friends and Family certificates. I don't remember anyone telling us anything about this last year when we got our Next Cruise. We are using our Next Cruise on one of our cabins for our upcoming cruise. We booked a separate cabin for the kids. Can you use the F&F certificate for the kid's cabin? If so, how would that work? I just checked, and it's been longer than a month since we booked, so I guess it doesn't matter for this one, but this would be great to know for future cruises.

[land lover]

I have a question, if I cancel my booking(that I booked with NC), In order to retain my $100. I need to book another cruise,correct?

 

So my additonal monies either 400 or 800 dollars would follow too, right?

If my next deposit is less do I get a refund if the original one was more?

[pmfan]

Here is the email that I received on October 26, 2007 regarding the Certificates for F&F................

 

Dear Patti,

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for emailing us in regards to the NextCruise program. NextCruise is a new program that allows guests and travel partners to create bookings onboard without having to make a quick decision on what ship or sail date their future cruise will be on. Below is an overview of how NextCruise works:

 

All bookings are created as guarantees and cruise only. Dining and onboard credit are not assigned until a ship and sail date are chosen. Onboard credit amount is dependant on the length of sailing. A $100 non-refundable deposit per person is collected at time of making the NextCruise booking(Single = $100, Double = $200). The NextCruise booking has no expiration and can be converted at any time. Bookings can be converted to any available Royal Caribbean ship and sail date and there are no restrictions regarding itinerary or dates. After the booking is converted to an actual ship and sail date the Coupon Redemption Team will enter the onboard credit value. The remaining balance of deposit will be due according to the converted bookings option date. If the booking is made with a travel agency, a confirmation letter is faxed to them once the booking is made onboard. A confirmation letter is emailed to the guest once the booking is made onboard. This promotion is for US & Canadian guests only. Puerto Rican citizens are not eligible at the moment.

 

In addition, when a guest makes a NextCruise booking on board, they can also obtain two NextCruise certificates to give to friends or family. The certificate will entitle the bearer to make a booking on the same ship and sail date the original booking is made on and receive the onboard credit. Loyalty agents will be the only shoreside personnel that can make these bookings. The original certificates must be received by Loyalty for processing. Copies and duplicates will not be accepted.

 

 

The program also allows the guests to join a group booking where they may retain their onboard cruise credit in addition to the group amenities already established.

I hope this clears up the confusion with having a NextCruise booking made on board our cruise ships.

 

 

Patti, we look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon.

Regards,

 

Aaron Laufer

Supervisor

Loyalty Service Center

Trade Support & Services

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

316-554-5759

Alaufer@rccl.com

 

Patti...thank you for clearing that up. I thought you had 30 days after the Next Cruise became a booking. :)

[sailor05]

The last time we cruised, my in-laws booked a cruise and received a $200 OBC for a 7 night cruise plus $100 discount off the price. They have been changing from one cruise to another to keep the discount and OBC. Do they still offer this? But they did have to pay the standard $250 pp deposit while on-board. This was all before this new "next cruise booking" program existed.

[FL_Cruiser64]

You have to read beyond that statement.........That is only when the Certificate for F&F is given out when a specific cruise is booked on a ship............then they have to be used within 30 days. ..........but I can guarantee you that they do not have to be used within 30 when they are used with a NextCruise booking.

 

When Certificates for F&F are given out with a NextCruise, then those certificates must be used within 30 days of when the NextCruise is turned into a real cruise. They are linked together by the booking number that has been assigned to the NextCruise (which is actually an inactive number until a real cruise has been booked) and there is also a Certificate number that is used also.

 

Wouldn't make much sense to give out those certificates with NextCruise bookings if they had to be used within 30 days of purchase............and a NextCruise is good indefinitely.:confused::confused:

 

You are more than welcome to email Alaufer@rccl.com to confirm what I have just posted.

 

Of course it makes sense to 'force' people to make a faster booking. The faster you book the quicker ships sell out.

 

That's part of advertising.

 

And what do you mean "I have to read beyond that statement". It is the terms and conditions. There is nothing beyond it.

 

Instead of defending false information you better clarify (which your e-mail you posted does not either) because if someone believes you and goes by what you say they will have a rude awakening.

 

I do believe those certificates were printed up wrong. :confused:

 

I am using NC from almost the first day on. When the FFs came along with it they were always printed like that. The FFS are a temporary offer just like any other discount or coupon.

 

 

The FF certificate I was given doesn't have a date on it...it was left blank.

 

So now what?

 

The FFs can be blank. You can only use a maximum of two per NC anyways. I submitted blank FFCs and filled out FFCs. As long as they have the ship stamp on them. They are no good by themselves. They have to be attached to an NC and that issue date is the important one. If an LA fills out the FFC he/she just copies the issue date from the NC issue date anyways.

[FL_Cruiser64]

The last time we cruised, my in-laws booked a cruise and received a $200 OBC for a 7 night cruise plus $100 discount off the price. They have been changing from one cruise to another to keep the discount and OBC. Do they still offer this? But they did have to pay the standard $250 pp deposit while on-board. This was all before this new "next cruise booking" program existed.

 

Its called FutureCruise and it still exists.

[pmshirl]

I have a question, if I cancel my booking(that I booked with NC), In order to retain my $100. I need to book another cruise,correct?

 

So my additonal monies either 400 or 800 dollars would follow too, right?

If my next deposit is less do I get a refund if the original one was more?

 

I have used many Next Cruise bookings, and have transfered my Reservation number (the original booking number I got with the NC) to another ship and date. Supposidly if you Cancel , you loose your deposit for the NC. There was a thread started the other day, where someone applied a NC to a Cruise they already had booked prior to getting the Next Cruise Coupon. They also stated they had cancelled a Next Cruise and Never lost their deopsit!

 

I guess rules are ment to be broken!

[FL_Cruiser64]

I have a question, if I cancel my booking(that I booked with NC), In order to retain my $100. I need to book another cruise,correct?

 

So my additonal monies either 400 or 800 dollars would follow too, right?

If my next deposit is less do I get a refund if the original one was more?

 

 

You can not cancel and rebook. Once canceled its done. You can move NC from one date/ship/itinerary to another though.

 

The only time I am aware of that a NC can be canceled and the OBC is applied to a new reservation number incl all deposits is when RCI cancels your NC.

[crusinmama06]

The FFs can be blank. You can only use a maximum of two per NC anyways. I submitted blank FFCs and filled out FFCs. As long as they have the ship stamp on them. They are no good by themselves. They have to be attached to an NC and that issue date is the important one. If an LA fills out the FFC he/she just copies the issue date from the NC issue date anyways.

 

Oh nice now I am even more confused (if that's possible).

 

This is what I have, looking at it now...I have a Next Cruise Booking Promotion Certificate that entitles me to (up to) $200 on my next sailing.

It has a certificate number.

 

It has a master booking ID #

 

No certificate issue date

 

No ship

 

No sailing date

 

Signed by the LA

 

And the friend who gave it to me was told by the LA that she could use it for Genesis.

 

So FlCruiser - is this not true? :confused:

[pmshirl]

Crusinmamma: You think your confused...well read this thread about Next Cruise! I am still confused from it! But I will try to get answers in 3 weeks on my Explorer Cruise!:)

 

PS: if you cancel a cruise with a nextcruise booking, you do not lose it. You have to rebook withing 12 months though.

 

Here is the Thread it came from!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=772489

[FL_Cruiser64]

Oh nice now I am even more confused (if that's possible).

 

This is what I have, looking at it now...I have a Next Cruise Booking Promotion Certificate that entitles me to (up to) $200 on my next sailing.

It has a certificate number.

 

It has a master booking ID #

 

No certificate issue date

 

No ship

 

No sailing date

 

Signed by the LA

 

And the friend who gave it to me was told by the LA that she could use it for Genesis.

 

So FlCruiser - is this not true? :confused:

 

This is like pulling teeth here. :D

 

The FF coupon (aka NextCruise Booking Promotion) must not have an issue date. The issue date is the NC issue date. You have to submit that coupon with your NC. The entire lower section "internal use" can be empty. This section will be completed when you are sending this coupon in (unless you use a TA). TAs don't have to send it in. They just give the ship code (in my example NV740).

 

Like I said, I had coupons filled out and not filled out but they were always stamped with the ship code and subsequent numbers (thats what I meant with the ship).

 

I made a scan of an old coupon.

 

Please read the front where it says to call Royal Caribbean within 30 days and please look at the additional attachment with the terms on it (I even put a red box around it).

 

Your NextCruise Booking Promotion (FF coupon) will not work for Genesis since it will be attached to the NC beyond the 30 days.

 

I give you credit though. A lot of LAs are not very knowledgeable. If he/she told you that you can use those with your NC when the Genesis pricing comes eventually out then he/she was wrong (which does not surprise me at all). One LA gave me 6 of those things for one NC. I asked him what am I going to do with them all. He told me to use them. When I told him that it is only limited to 2 per NC he said: "Oh, you are right." :cool:

 

Believe me, I fought over a 24 hour difference just about a month ago. But I don't want to bore anybody with that story.

 

;)