Third/Fourth Passenger free just a scam?

Was just searching on RCCL's website for a cruise for next August and found the 3rd/4th passenger free deal. I understand that it is selected cruises and even selected classes on those cruises but was able to find one on the August 9th Eastern Caribbean on Freedom of the Seas. The third passenger was listed as $0 cost in Oceanview and the total cost was around $2803.45. I was rather pleased. However when I went back to do a second search on the same setup using only 2 passengers for some friends to join us, the total cost was $2035.30. Even with extra fees and taxes for the third passenger, that shouldn't account for almost an $800 jump in price.

I really think that the third/fourth passenger "deal" doesn't exist and that they are just using accounting tricks to make it look free.

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and the crazy world of Royal Caribbean pricing.:)

The $800 difference is the BOGOHO sale pricing that you get with two people in the cabin. The second passenger is half-price.

Basically, you get to choose that passenger #2 is half-off, or passengers #3 and 4 are free and you pay full price for passenger #2.

The $800 difference is the BOGOHO sale pricing that you get with two people in the cabin. The second passenger is half-price.

 

Basically, you get to choose that passenger #2 is half-off, or passengers #3 and 4 are free and you pay full price for passenger #2.

As you point out if they are running two different special sale offers each one is for different type of cabin situations.

It would be different if they only offered one sale at a time.

in August 2013 did an onboard booking for a August 2014 cruise in a GS...shortly before final payment was due RCL starting offering the 3rd & 4th passengers/kids travel free special discount (only pay taxes).....thru C & A was able to rebook cruise using 3rd/4th discount and cost was reduced by $2100.....:)

so yes the discount does exist.

in August 2013 did an onboard booking for a August 2014 cruise in a GS...shortly before final payment was due RCL starting offering the 3rd & 4th passengers/kids travel free special discount (only pay taxes).....thru C & A was able to rebook cruise using 3rd/4th discount and cost was reduced by $2100.....:)

so yes the discount does exist.

You mean "DID" exist. That was over a year ago and RCI has plenty of new tricks up it's sleeve these days.:)

BOGOHO "DID" exist too for about the first 3 days of May when the sale started. Since then, not so much.

Bill

Our PR cabin on the Liberty Dec. 2015 is more per person WITH BOGOHO than our PR cabin on Mariner last year without any "sale". I know Liberty is a larger class ship but I seriously thought the rate would be a bit lower. Both early Dec. sailings NOT holiday times. Where is the "sale"? Am I missing something here :confused::confused:

Seems they keep extending the "sale". I'll be curious to see new rates once the "sale" has ended.

So prices are supposed to stay the same 18 to 24 MO. after bookings open.

Op,

If it is a scam then who makes you book it:rolleyes:

Our PR cabin on the Liberty Dec. 2015 is more per person WITH BOGOHO than our PR cabin on Mariner last year without any "sale". I know Liberty is a larger class ship but I seriously thought the rate would be a bit lower. Both early Dec. sailings NOT holiday times. Where is the "sale"? Am I missing something here :confused::confused:

 

Seems they keep extending the "sale". I'll be curious to see new rates once the "sale" has ended.

You haven't missed anything....but what you fail to admit, is that it is a year later and businesses change their pricing strategies.....so comparing what was on two different ships is just that an exercise in comparison.

If you did not feel the price was a good value for the cruise you were booking, don't book it.

Was just searching on RCCL's website for a cruise for next August and found the 3rd/4th passenger free deal. I understand that it is selected cruises and even selected classes on those cruises but was able to find one on the August 9th Eastern Caribbean on Freedom of the Seas. The third passenger was listed as $0 cost in Oceanview and the total cost was around $2803.45. I was rather pleased. However when I went back to do a second search on the same setup using only 2 passengers for some friends to join us, the total cost was $2035.30. Even with extra fees and taxes for the third passenger, that shouldn't account for almost an $800 jump in price.

 

I really think that the third/fourth passenger "deal" doesn't exist and that they are just using accounting tricks to make it look free.

When you are looking at the pricing for the 4 in one cabin and you get the 3'rd and 4'th free compared to a cabin for 2 people you are probably comparing different categories. The cabins that sleep 4 may be a D1 whike the cabins that only hold 2 may be a D2. These cabins are priced differently and thus part of the reason for the difference in price.

Having said that it is common knowledge here on these boards that RCI will raise prices in order to have a "sale".

Just like a sale in most stores you need to know your pricing/value ahead of time so you know whether it's a good deal or not.

Frequently you will see price reductions, but more than not you will find gimmicks that cost more than the original price of cruising.

However we do watch daily for price changes and have in the past caught and got reimbursed and cruise price gone down before final payment.

Money savings are nice.

Sea Ya

Was just searching on RCCL's website for a cruise for next August and found the 3rd/4th passenger free deal. I understand that it is selected cruises and even selected classes on those cruises but was able to find one on the August 9th Eastern Caribbean on Freedom of the Seas. The third passenger was listed as $0 cost in Oceanview and the total cost was around $2803.45. I was rather pleased. However when I went back to do a second search on the same setup using only 2 passengers for some friends to join us, the total cost was $2035.30. Even with extra fees and taxes for the third passenger, that shouldn't account for almost an $800 jump in price.

 

I really think that the third/fourth passenger "deal" doesn't exist and that they are just using accounting tricks to make it look free.

Sorry but the second price appears to be less than the first did you type the correct numbers? 2803.45 for three 2035.30 for four?

Shouldn't be 800 for taxes

Depends if you chose same category but rooms for three and four are often dearer and that room would not be allowed for two only. I think that is the difference

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You haven't missed anything....but what you fail to admit, is that it is a year later and businesses change their pricing strategies.....so comparing what was on two different ships is just that an exercise in comparison.

 

If you did not feel the price was a good value for the cruise you were booking, don't book it.

Your response is valid. However, I was just making an observation on this thread. I still will be anxious to see these rates after the "sale" is finished.

Sorry but the second price appears to be less than the first did you type the correct numbers? 2803.45 for three 2035.30 for four?

Sorry about the confusion Redrobo. The $2803.45 price was the room total for the first group of 3 while the $2035.30 price was the room total for the group of 2.

Bogo is all just smoke in mirrors.. I booked almost a yr ago now and I saw the bogo deal a fewmonths back and went on rccl site and did a mock rebook and cost was more then I originally paid.Its just good marketing.People see bogo and think wow what a deal.:Im sure it works very well for royal doing this.

They keep extending it, so maybe it's not doing as well as they thought.

They didn't reckon on customers being able to add and subtract...:rolleyes:

Cruise pricing is much like buying an airplane ticket, no two passengers pay the same price!

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

They keep extending it, so maybe it's not doing as well as they thought.

They didn't reckon on customers being able to add and subtract...:rolleyes:

My guess is that it's doing better than they thought. If it were doing worse they would stop it and come up with a new gimmick.

Even without any promotions I realized for our recent TA with the Oasis that the same type of cabin (in my case a D4) was cheaper with double occupancy than with triple. The difference for 1st/2nd person was app. 400 Euro (pp) plus the price for the 3rd person.

So I decided for myself to check first whether booking two cabins might be cheaper than just booking one for the three of us...

steamboats

It DID exist, I must agree. I got passengers 3-8 free in a RFS, and only paid taxes and fees. Excellent deal!

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