C & A Coupon and Best Price Cruises

[HB Cruiser]

Are there any of you out there have this situation.

 

We booked a cruise with Best Price Cruises about three weeks ago. Today we received our C & A mag with a coupon for $125 off per cabin on our sailing.

 

DO any of you know if Best Price Cruises will accept the coupon or not? We have not made final payment yet if that is a question. If you have experience with them please respond.

 

Thanks

 

Tim & Crystal

[Donnaluv2cruise]

I booked my last cruise with them but not with RCCL. From what I've been told here on the board they will honor 75 or 80% of the coupon. I'm still waiting to get mine in the mail. Can't wait!

[swooldri]

My past experiance with Best Price Cruises is that they will apply 80% of the coupon value. I sent mine in to them last week, have not heard back yet. Steve

[trigger]

They told me that it must be sent either certified mail or over-nighted to them within 10 days of booking. HOWEVER, the agent also said that the final decision if they can be used or not is up to RCCL.

 

until we set sail on the Mariner of the Seas

 

2002 Rhapsody of the Seas

2002 Carnival Sensation

2003 Carnival Pride

2003 Voyager of the Seas

 

[montgomeryfamily]

I booked with them twice and both times the agent I had said that they would not accept the RCI coupon. That is one of the reasons I no longer use them.

[HB Cruiser]

UPDATE

 

First, thanks for the info from all of you, it helps to have a little knowledge before the argument begins.

 

I called C & A first. They told me the coupon can be used either before or after final payment has been made. Since we have two cabins booked and both my wife's and my names & C & A #'s are on the same coupon, we should be able to use them for both cabins.

 

My agent at Best Price Crusies was contacted after this. She told me the coupon could be used but only for one cabin. She has yet to inform me as to the amount we will be credited.

 

I have emailed her asking for clarification on the one coupon per cabin issue. Will post final answer as soon as I have it.

 

Tim

[Chuck & Phyllis]

The reason that cruise agents have a problem with coupons after a booking has been made is because they rebated a portion of their commission back to you in the form of a discount. They based the discount on the commissionable fare. Now you give them a coupon which lowers the commissionable fare. They basically have to reprice your cruise and when they do, the discount changes because the commissionable fare changes.

 

Chuck & Phyllis

 

 

[GreggNKara]

Dude...I booked with Cruise411.com applied my coupon and then found the rate cheaper with bestpricecruises.com Cruise 411 credited me the differences and they give me invoices immediatly. Truely a class act...

 

The travel agent is now officially dead

 

G-

 

 Days Till We Leave For THE Cruise

 

[Driftwoodgal]

HB Cruiser,

 

I would be careful with the information that you get from C & A about coupons. You would think that whom ever you talk to there would have correct facts, but you can talk to three different people and get three different answers. I too was told that I could get credit for a coupon after final payment but I was told by a supervisor that the information that I was given was incorrect. I had a cruise booked with ICRUISE. They told me that they honored price drops. I tried to turn a coupon into them and they refused to take it. C&A told me to send it to them after final payment. I did that and was turned down.

 

It would be nice if RCCL would just allow you to deduct the coupon from the amount that you have to make at final payment.

 

I now have a cruise booked with someone that will except a coupon at 80% of the face value of the coupon and gave me a price of $300 lower than RCCL. I booked on board ship and got a onboard credit of $200. If another coupon comes out that gives me more credit the TA will take it as well as checking to see if the cruise drops in price before we have to make the final payment.

 

God bless you and yours.

[Chuck & Phyllis]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Driftwoodgal:

I now have a cruise booked with someone that will except a coupon at 80% of the face value of the coupon and gave me a price of $300 lower than RCCL.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

When you book a cruise and inform the agent that you have a coupon, full value of that coupon will be applied. If you waited for the agent to give you a price and then mentioned the coupon, that's the same as presenting the coupon after booking as far as pricing is concerned. Here's what I mean: Say you book a cruise that cost $1250. Of that, $200 is port charges, and $50 is taxes. That leaves $1000 as a commissionable cruise fare. Lets say that the commission is $150 and the agent is going to rebate $100 back to you as a discount. That would make your price $900 plus $200 port plus $50 tax. The agent makes $50. Now you give him a $100 coupon. That reduces the commissionable fare to $900, reducing the total commission to $135. Now, remember $100 dollars had already been rebated as a discount. This would leave the agent with $35 instaed of $50, resulting in a loss for the agent. OK, Say you told the agent that you have a coupon when you book. The commissionable fare is $900 and the total commission is $135. At the same rate of discount, instead of $100 off, it would be $90, with the agent getting $45. Why do I know so much? One of my best friends is an agent and years ago I dabbled in travel and will eventually work for my friend when I retire. The best thing to do is to tell the agent you have a coupon. If you get one after the fact, tell the agent that you accept that they will deduct lost commission from the face value. In this case, the agent would deduct $15 instead of $10 had it been presented at time of booking. It really gets involved.

 

Chuck & Phyllis