SafetyHarbor

Just the opposite, we've cruised many years with them. The cruise pricing itself isn't the issue (we're locked in to the better rate anyway, and the increase was just an amusing "here we go again" anecdote). The real issue I have is that they advertised a certain price for the UDP which induced me to cancel my existing UDP reservation (you can't book the UDP twice, then cancel the higher priced reservation because it won't let you book it if you already have it), then stated that the UDP was "sold out" when I tried to rebook it. Less than an hour later they re-advertised it a higher price, and when called out on it the CSR admitted the information they provided on their website was not true. I'm totally ok with dynamic pricing because it benefits people who care about the price and are willing to check pricing frequently to get a better deal, while also allowing the company to earn as much profit as they like from uninformed or unmotivated travelers. This is the form of capitalism I like the most, the one that allows both the traveler and shareholder a chance to win. Just don't cheat, which is essentially what they did, because they designed a system that allowed it to happen. I'm not going to stop cruising RC because of it, and $160 doesn't mean anything when you consider it's just a part of a $10k cruise, but they should be called out when a part of their business is conducted in an ethically-dubious manner.

Yes, just got off the phone with them. There's nothing they can do, nor do they feel it's unfair to list a price online that can't actually be purchased since "sales come and go within minutes". And they can't honor the price originally paid anymore. The CSR's advice was to "keep checking multiple times each day, and when a better price comes up call us to make sure it's still available" before cancelling/rebooking. What a business model.

So just another funny update. One hour later and the UDP is mysteriously now available, for $330 per person. Son of a...

Oh Royal, why can't you get your stuff together... We get it, demand for travel is high and prices will remain elevated; no problem. But please stop playing games with the pricing on a daily basis. I keep a spreadsheet to do weekly (and sometimes semi-weekly-ish) check-ins on pricing for the cruise itself as well as all the extras: Here are a few highlights: On 04/03/23 we booked 2 connecting balcony rooms on 03/30/24 8 night Odyssey out of FL; Total cost with taxes $8,472.16 (ouch, but that's a different story...) This included total discounts of $5,484 and included both taxes and gratuities. Today's price with the extra $200 "kicker" and larger discount was $8,796.64, which ostensibly includes $6,032 in discounts. And yes, room class is the same. The "sale" price is $320 more expensive, due to the cruise base price rising almost $900 between the two. I call shenanigans. Then to make it worse, we had also purchased a number of add-ons including the UDP for our family of four at $257.99 per. No problem. It's advertised today for $170.99 so I did what anyone would do, attempted to cancel then rebook at the lower price. However, it's suspiciously "sold out". 10 months in advance. I instead booked the 3 night package which coincidentally was the same price as when we originally booked the UDP. Of course by using the term "coincidentally" I mean no such thing. More shenanigans. I'm willing to wager that in a week when this "sale" is over, they'll mysteriously have more capacity to sell the UDP again at the original price. Good stuff, Royal. Good stuff.