Is RCL avoiding not meeting price drops?

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

I have noticed on the Mariner cruise that all recent price drops that are not deals are also only applicable to new reservations? Is this a way RCI can avoid meeting price drops on existing reservations without having to anouce it?

[kimmi5207]

Last Friday I was able to get a price drop on the Mariner and saved a total of $300 on our room (guarantee inside). And I had actually just booked 2 weeks before. Getting the price drop put me back into the guarantee pool, but my new room assignment is actually better than the first one I received.

 

I just happened to log on and see it though - it wasn't an announced sale (to my knowledge). My travel agent called and confirmed I qualified and the $300 was credited back to my credit card. A day or two later, the price on line was actually higher than what I had paid originally back in Mid May.

[thetwins]

Honestly I think they honor all price drops except the Tuesday WOW sales. We, as a group, have gotten residency discounts, senior discounts, plain old price drops, cabin upgrades (no, not the upgrade fairy), and they've happened both before and after final payment...

[akcruz]

I just got a $275 drop on my August Mariner cruise, so I would say no, they aren't avoiding it all.

 

Almost all cabins are shown as 'for new bookings only'. What you need to watch for is the 'Special Sales'. If in doubt, give a call. All they can say is no, sorry doesn't apply to you.

[negc]

Since many cruiselines simply refuse to honor price drops for passengers already booked and especially after final payment has been made, it doesn't seem fair to imply that RCI is trying to avoid honoring price drops when they offer special rates such as those during the WOW sales. As many of us can attest, we have frequently benefited from price drops which offered significant savings.

[runningtide]

To add my two cents, thanks to reading cruisecritic I have been watching for price drops and specials. We are booked and have our tickets on Grandeur out of Baltimore 7/16 on the 9 day Eastern Carrib schedule. Yesterday, because of an alert I recieved from Cruise Critic, I called my TA and asked her to check with RCCL to see if any of the specials applied to my cruise. She called back and and said that after checking with the line, she saved me $800 on our balcony and $340 on our inside stateroom :D:D She said RCCL would credit this money back to my credit card.

 

Pays to keep checkling on the specials. From what my TA said, the lines don't normally contact the TA's, and the TA's, I guess because of the number of clients they handle, do not routinely check with the lines on applicable discounts. In short, looks like it's the ticket holders responsibility to keep an eye out for peridic specials. ;)

[uksimonusa]

I have noticed on the Mariner cruise that all recent price drops that are not deals are also only applicable to new reservations? Is this a way RCI can avoid meeting price drops on existing reservations without having to anouce it?

 

It has always stated for new reservations only, on the RCI web site for all bookings, they do not enforce this. Think about it, here in the US, you can cancel with no penalty prior to final payment, so if they did not honor the new price, you could cancel and rebook to obtain the new price, it is easier for RCI just to give you the new price anyway.

 

This DOES NOT apply to Special, such as WOW sales or Tuesday Special, both these specifically state that cancel and rebook will not be allowed.

 

So to answer your question, no, RCI are not trying to avoid meeting price drops, although technically they could make you cancel and rebook to get them

[robmab]

I have had no trouble getting price drops applied to our cruises, even after final payment. Frankly, I can't believe they allow this at all. Seems like they are potentially giving up a ton of money by honoring price drops that they've put into place to attract NEW customers, not those of us who have already booked. However, I call them EVERY time I see a drop (at least once on every cruise we have ever booked with RCCL), and never once have they failed to honor it.

[karena1]

This year alone, we received a Senior Special on Serenade, and 2 on Monarch. For all three, not only did we get a Senior Special, but it resulted in an upgrade AND saving money. One was after final payment had been made.

[CRUISINGCPA]

I just want to thank all who responded here - thanks to you we just received a significant residency discount, our first price drop! I was a little bummed that the price dropped below what we booked for over a year ago but had my TA check anyway & we will be receiving a credit on our charge card. Actually now I feel a little guilty, they need to make money too. Oh well I'll get over it.

[leoandhugh]

Runningtide - you say your TA saved you that money; I disagree and say that YOU saved you that money by checking CC and being aware of what to look for. I think you should ask yourself the question "would my TA have noticed that drop in price and called me to tell me that she had gotten it for me?" So many TAs are reluctant to do that because it impacts their commission. Lower cruise fare - lower commission. You are to be commended for what you have learned here and acted on it. Now you can really enjoy your cruise!!:)

[negc]

Runningtide - you say your TA saved you that money; I disagree and say that YOU saved you that money by checking CC and being aware of what to look for. I think you should ask yourself the question "would my TA have noticed that drop in price and called me to tell me that she had gotten it for me?" So many TAs are reluctant to do that because it impacts their commission. Lower cruise fare - lower commission. You are to be commended for what you have learned here and acted on it. Now you can really enjoy your cruise!!:)

 

While lower fares may mean lower commissions, I believe far more TAs value the loyalty of their clients and are willing to forego a portion of their commission in order to have satisfied clients who will return in the future and will also refer others to the TA who is attentive and responsive to changes in fares etc than you seem to believe. I think you may be being far more negative in your assessment of the professionalism of TAs who take a longer range view of their relationship with their clients. Had you used the word "some" I might not quibble but the term "so many" implies something closer to a majority and I don't believe that is the case, certainly not when it relates to "good" travel agents.:)

[pcur]

Honestly I think they honor all price drops except the Tuesday WOW sales. We, as a group, have gotten residency discounts, senior discounts, plain old price drops, cabin upgrades (no, not the upgrade fairy), and they've happened both before and after final payment...

 

You are correct. It's the Tuesday sales that are for new bookings only, and the C&A coupons say this, too. The prices posted on the web site are for everyone, and they do honor them. One of the great customer relations bennies of this cruise line, IMO. However, I have applied coupons to existing bookings several times. They are firm about the Tuesday deals, though.

[TBSCruiser]

Runningtide - you say your TA saved you that money; I disagree and say that YOU saved you that money by checking CC and being aware of what to look for. I think you should ask yourself the question "would my TA have noticed that drop in price and called me to tell me that she had gotten it for me?" So many TAs are reluctant to do that because it impacts their commission. Lower cruise fare - lower commission. You are to be commended for what you have learned here and acted on it. Now you can really enjoy your cruise!!:)

 

 

Many TA's do and will check price and call their clients and tell them they got a drop. You are doing a disservice to the hard working TA's who go out of their way for clients. I am thrilled and honored to have one for the last 10 years. She calls me and tells me how much credit I will get and many times she has upgraded me for the same or lower cost. I think you owe an apology to the TA's out there who work very hard for their clients without taking into consideration the amount their commission will be.

[G'ma]

I have noticed on the Mariner cruise that all recent price drops that are not deals are also only applicable to new reservations? Is this a way RCI can avoid meeting price drops on existing reservations without having to anouce it?

 

CEO Fain announced the end to price matching several months ago saying he would trade empty cabins for higher revenue. Heres a link:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=62104126.blog

[Baltimore_Cruiser89]

:DI actually booked my cruise on May 17, 2009 @ 379.00 for my inside cabin on the 4th floor. This past Tuesday... June 2, the price went down, so i was able to move to a larger inside cabin, on the 8th floor for only 339.00 a person so they credited 80.00 back to my account!!!:D

[pcur]

CEO Fain announced the end to price matching several months ago saying he would trade empty cabins for higher revenue. Heres a link:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=62104126.blog

 

We are not discussing what is in the article you quoted. We are talking about when the price DOES drop whether existing bookings can get the same price.

[Brossy]

I am looking at doing the Mariner next year. How do I find out about these 'Wow' prices and are they only if you book directly with RCCL? Thanks

[runningtide]

Runningtide - you say your TA saved you that money; I disagree and say that YOU saved you that money by checking CC and being aware of what to look for. I think you should ask yourself the question "would my TA have noticed that drop in price and called me to tell me that she had gotten it for me?" So many TAs are reluctant to do that because it impacts their commission. Lower cruise fare - lower commission. You are to be commended for what you have learned here and acted on it. Now you can really enjoy your cruise!!:)

 

 

I have read the comments on TA's that followed my original post. I agree that they perform a very important service and I am generally very satisfied with my TA.., I have used them before. I do agree with Leoandhugh that the TA should be doing the followup on price discounts. I did ask before about pricing changes and she said that their office usually does not track each client against pricing changes. I'm a little confused about that statement..., why wouldn't the lines contact the TA's about price changes? Or at the least, contact the ticket holder.

 

Seems there is no firm procedure for this .....

 

Anyway, thanks everybody for your comments and help :)

[lady_cruiser]

My sister and I are booked on the Voyager of the Seas out of Galveston the week of February 14, 2010. We booked a Jr. Suite at $1449 (each). On April 4, 2009 we saw a price drop of $50. I called them and they adjusted my final balance to reflect a $100 savings. On May 5th I saw another price drop of $80 so another phone call to RCL resulted in our final balance being lowered by $160. THEN on May 15th I noticed a special residency discount for people living in Texas. I called my sister (she lives in Texas and I live in Louisiana) who then called RCL and they adjusted our remaining balance by $380 ($190 each).

 

After saying all this I think that I can say "yes" Royal Caribbean is still continuing to honor their price drops. And hopefully by the time I make final payment there will be another price drop in our future.

[negc]

I have read the comments on TA's that followed my original post. I agree that they perform a very important service and I am generally very satisfied with my TA.., I have used them before. I do agree with Leoandhugh that the TA should be doing the followup on price discounts. I did ask before about pricing changes and she said that their office usually does not track each client against pricing changes. I'm a little confused about that statement..., why wouldn't the lines contact the TA's about price changes? Or at the least, contact the ticket holder.

 

Seems there is no firm procedure for this .....

 

Anyway, thanks everybody for your comments and help :)

 

I'm not sure "why" the lines won't contact TA's or clients about price changes that specifically relate to them, but they don't.:o They do notify TAs about sales etc. but as far as price reductions go, they don't automatically give them to those already booked. Your TA, or you, if you booked directly, have to contact the lines and request the new price. Most good TAs check for price changes on a regular basis but realistically, if they have a large number of clients, it is possible that they can miss some, especially some that appear only briefly. It is in your own best interest to backstop your TA by checking on your booking and, if you should find a reduction, contact the TA and request the change.

[flagger]

CEO Fain announced the end to price matching several months ago saying he would trade empty cabins for higher revenue. Heres a link:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=62104126.blog

That blog post was back in February. They have been dropping prices and having lower fares and yields since then.

[Laoghaire]

To the OP...Yes, as far as we are concerned, RCCL is still honoring price drops. We are sailing in July to Alaska on the Seranade OTS, and just received a $1000.00 price drop for our JS, as senior citizens! They are crediting our Visa. Hooray!!

 

Helen

[WhiteSoxFan]

I have had no trouble getting price drops applied to our cruises, even after final payment. Frankly, I can't believe they allow this at all. Seems like they are potentially giving up a ton of money by honoring price drops that they've put into place to attract NEW customers, not those of us who have already booked. However, I call them EVERY time I see a drop (at least once on every cruise we have ever booked with RCCL), and never once have they failed to honor it.

Not everyone checks for price reductions or know they are eligible for them. I would say that even though almost all of those on cruise critic know, we represent a small fraction of the total cruisers out there. So while RCI may drop the price maybe only 5-6% (to just pull a number out of my a**) of the current booked passengers ever contact them for the lower price.