Booking Future Cruise Onboard

[cruzfiend]

I've tried the search and can't find the answer to this question.

 

My daughter is sailing this Sat. on the Liberty and I was thinking of having her book me for a future cruise while she is onboard. What are the perks and can she even do it for me? :confused:

[jjgoo]

I dont think there are much deals onboard. Most the good deals will be online.

[Lynnees]

I've tried the search and can't find the answer to this question.

 

My daughter is sailing this Sat. on the Liberty and I was thinking of having her book me for a future cruise while she is onboard. What are the perks and can she even do it for me? :confused:

 

 

She can't do it. You must be onboard to book a future cruise. However, to answer your initial question, there is an OBC given for booking while onboard another cruise but that will be changing at the end of the year. If you book a balcony and are entitled to a balcony discount, you will have to chose between the two - they will no longer give both.

[dutchess43]

I for one will not be booking future cruise's because of the lack of combining the OBC's. It is not worth anymore.

[petesweet]

Those who say it is not worth it, I think, are those who have accumulated other perks, aren't they? If OP has only one or two cruises under her belt, then a future cruise benefit will be great. Am I correct in this assumption?

 

OP: Your daughter can purchase a next cruise certificate for $100 (which is just a down-payment on a cruise for the future) and get with it two "friends and family" coupons. Then if you go on the same cruise as she goes on, you can make use of one of those and gain onboard credit based on the length of the cruise. You must book within 30 days of the date she makes her choice and books.

 

Those who say it is not worth it are those who are shareholders and/or those who are eligible for a discount on booking a balcony. That benefit goes to those who are platinum level or above members of the Crown & Anchor society (e.g., have at least five cruise credits).

 

Hope this information helps. Happy cruising.:)

 

(By the way, we have made the decision to go ahead and purchase the next cruise certificate next month even though it is of no immediate benefit to us. It's not money lost, and it's not like I'm earning a great deal of interest on $100:(, and my optimistic hope is that when things start looking up economically, it may be worth some OBC again.)

[ETski]

Petesweet Please explain the next cruise certificate to me. I'm ETski from the Jan 23 Explorer roll call. The Jan. cruise will be our first Royal cruise. We have cruise many other lines but are a little confused with the next cruise certificate. I understand its $100 but does it give you any OBC? And is it $100 per person or cabin. And if not used is it refunded.

[Lynnees]

Petesweet Please explain the next cruise certificate to me. I'm ETski from the Jan 23 Explorer roll call. The Jan. cruise will be our first Royal cruise. We have cruise many other lines but are a little confused with the next cruise certificate. I understand its $100 but does it give you any OBC? And is it $100 per person or cabin. And if not used is it refunded.

 

First of all, the NC is supposedly not refundable but there is a way of getting your money back. As you haven't sailed with RCL before this would be aimed at people such as yourself.

 

You buy the certificate for $100. You can buy as many as you want. When you have decided which cruise you want to book you use the reservation number from your NC to book. You will receive an OBC the amount of which will be determined by the length of your cruise. As you are not yet plat or D/D+ you wouldn't be entitled to the balcony discount so that isn't an issue for you.

 

If you have any more questions please ask.

[ETski]

Thanks Marilyn for your prompt reply. So in a nutshell you buy a certificate and apply it toward your next cruise. When you do book can you us a TA or do you need to book direct with the cruise line. Is there always OBC and it is determined by the length of the cruise. I had seen some other posts saying what good is a next cruise certificate so a thought I would ask. Any other info regarding this would be apprecated.

[megr1125]

last week, Runi, the LA on Explorer said that you CAN in fact book a cabin for yourself AND up to 2 cbins for pals...and this was a regular booking NOT a next cruise.....

 

i think you would have to at least have their names, and pay the deposit but it CAN be done!!!! Runi said this at the repeaters party, the Plat/Diam party and told several people who made appointments...again this was a REGULAR booking, not a NC!

 

you would get the OBC for them...

[megr1125]

Thanks Marilyn for your prompt reply. So in a nutshell you buy a certificate and apply it toward your next cruise. When you do book can you us a TA or do you need to book direct with the cruise line. Is there always OBC and it is determined by the length of the cruise. I had seen some other posts saying what good is a next cruise certificate so a thought I would ask. Any other info regarding this would be apprecated.

 

you can use a TA....but i would book it myself, then transfer it later to a TA....you have to fill out a form to do this though...

[megr1125]

Petesweet Please explain the next cruise certificate to me. I'm ETski from the Jan 23 Explorer roll call. The Jan. cruise will be our first Royal cruise. We have cruise many other lines but are a little confused with the next cruise certificate. I understand its $100 but does it give you any OBC? And is it $100 per person or cabin. And if not used is it refunded.

 

ETSKi.....when you are on Ex..go see Runi (or Jed, one of her assitants..)TRUST ME-Runi really knows her stuff....such a delight! (and i think she will be there....she JUST got back from vacation the cruise before ours, so i think around november 9th!-tell he that meg her shopping buddy sent you! )

[FEMH]

I still think a next cruise booking is a good deal. I do not have RCCL stock and do not intend on buying any. As far as the balcony discount is concerned, as a platinum C & A member, I am eligible for it, but normally choose to cruise in an inside cabin, so I can cruise more often. It's the folks who have a next cruise booking, stock, and a balcony that are upset that they can't combine the discounts anymore. For me, it still works.

[Lynnees]

Thanks Marilyn for your prompt reply. So in a nutshell you buy a certificate and apply it toward your next cruise. When you do book can you us a TA or do you need to book direct with the cruise line. Is there always OBC and it is determined by the length of the cruise. I had seen some other posts saying what good is a next cruise certificate so a thought I would ask. Any other info regarding this would be apprecated.

 

You can do it either way, but be careful. Unless you tell them differently they will automatically give it to whomever you booked with. If that's what you want, fine, if not tell them before they start the process.

 

There is always OBC and yes, it is determined by the length of cruise.

 

The NC isn't of much use to anyone who is already entitled to a balcony discount if they are booking a balcony as you can only have one perk. That is the new rule which is why so many are upset. I wasn't happy either but I'[ve managed to use all my NC's certificates and will not buy them again.

[Clarea]

Thanks Marilyn for your prompt reply. So in a nutshell you buy a certificate and apply it toward your next cruise. When you do book can you us a TA or do you need to book direct with the cruise line. Is there always OBC and it is determined by the length of the cruise. I had seen some other posts saying what good is a next cruise certificate so a thought I would ask. Any other info regarding this would be apprecated.

Some things that are good to know about Next Cruise certificates ...

 

The next cruise cert (NC) costs $100 per person named on the cert. You need only name one person, but sometimes you are not told this, and you end up spending $200 for the cert.

 

You should get 2 Friends and Family certificates with the NC. Again, sometimes this does not happen, so you need to make sure you get these before you leave the ship. From what I've read here, once you leave the ship you are out of luck on getting friends and family certificates.

 

The NC "belongs" to either you or your travel agent. The loyalty ambassador may not ask what you prefer. If you booked your current cruise with a TA, then you may find your NC is "owned" by that TA, and that you must use that TA to book the NC. I suggest you ask the loyalty ambassador not to use a TA. Then you can book the NC yourself and once booked, you can transfer the booking to the TA of your choice. Or keep it yourself. But at least you will have the choice. Once a TA owns a booking or a NC, you cannot transfer it away from that TA without their consent.

[Lynnees]

last week, Runi, the LA on Explorer said that you CAN in fact book a cabin for yourself AND up to 2 cbins for pals...and this was a regular booking NOT a next cruise.....

 

i think you would have to at least have their names, and pay the deposit but it CAN be done!!!! Runi said this at the repeaters party, the Plat/Diam party and told several people who made appointments...again this was a REGULAR booking, not a NC!

 

you would get the OBC for them...

 

It's too bad the LA's can't give the right information. The purpose of giving a OBC to anyone who books while onboard is abundantly clear.

 

However, I have found that recently the LA's are not very good for the most part and are a wealth of misinformation.

 

If the poster can get the booking fine, but I doubt it. What they can get is friends and family coupons which will give an OBC however they must be booked on the same cruise as the person who gives them the certificate.

[petesweet]

Petesweet Please explain the next cruise certificate to me. I'm ETski from the Jan 23 Explorer roll call. The Jan. cruise will be our first Royal cruise. We have cruise many other lines but are a little confused with the next cruise certificate. I understand its $100 but does it give you any OBC? And is it $100 per person or cabin. And if not used is it refunded.

 

 

Hi, Lynn (and wellsaid ed).

 

You pay $100 for a next cruise certificate. You get with it TWO friends and family certificates. You get no benefit at the time you buy the certificate, but when you decide on your next cruise, you use that booking number, and the $100 you paid is applied to the reservation cost of that cruise. At the time of that second cruise, you reap the benefits of the next cruise certificate. You get onboard credit depending on the length of your cruise. For example, on our January 23 cruise, we get $100 OBC. Since we are also sailing January 11 (B2B with January 23), we are getting $200 OBC for that cruise. For the two cruises, we had to buy two separate next cruise certificates. So for a temporary investment of $200, we reaped $300 OBC. If any of our friends had chosen to book the same cruise (they didn't), they, too, would have enjoyed that benefit.

 

Two other cabins can be booked along with you (the "friends and family" benefit) and also get the same OBC.

 

As warned above, starting January 1, RCL is limiting the combining of OBC benefits, but until you reach at least the platinum level (where you are eligible for a discount on balcony cabins) or invest in RCL stock (100 shares), it won't affect you. Since we prefer inside cabins, the balcony discount will never matter to us.

 

See you at roll call.:)

[cruzfiend]

Thanks for all of your replies.

I am a "Platinum Member" and thought maybe by having a cruise pre booked would give me an additional perks, but for on-board credit alone, I might rethink.