MaritimeR&R

I check my cruise prices frequently for price drops (even though I also use a monitoring site.} In order to do that I have to have my Math hat on and this should not be the case.

I feel that the price of the cabin without any promotional reductions should appear on the website so as to allow those who are checking for price drops to easily calculate and compare rates.

Last week, I called the D+ desk to inquire about a price drop and was initially told that I was currently booked at a lower rate than the 30% promotion in effect at that time.

I had initially booked this cruise with a casino rate that at the time was better than the current promotion in place with my reduced solo supplement applied.

Because agents only have access to the price of the cabin with the current promotion applied, it took 2 department, 3 people and over an hour to finally get the $405. price reduction that I was entitled to applied to my cruise fare.

Now, I realize that because both the Casino and the C&A D+ desk were involved in this particular booking and that it made securing the price drop more difficult and that this is not the norm, however if we and any agent are able to see the base price of the cabin, it would simplify checking for price drops and would ensure that we are truly getting the best deal. I want to be able to compare apples to apples!

How about you?

Do you think more transparency is needed in your booking?

They only have breakfast in Giovanni's for suites and pinnacles.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

That's too bad. I was recently on Freedom for a few sailings and Chops (ok. I know it's not next to the Windjammer on Voyager class) was available for D+, Pinnacles and Suites for breakfast. Giovanni's was open for lunch for Pinnacles and Suites. I really enjoyed having a quiet area for breakfast and will miss it on Adventure.:(

I booked a number of Adventure cruises for fall 2018 and winter 2019 when the opened - only my 6 night cruises dropped -nov 18 2018 - saved $89. Feb 24 2019 - saved $84.

The base price of the cabin for the other sailings have gone up.

The site went down because of the new sale - every 3rd day free (I believe its just for the Caribbean).

Coffee at the Park Cafe is available from 6am. I am up at between 4am and 5am and have always been able to get coffee in the room next to the Windjammer.

To clarify for the OP, at 340 points you get a 150% single supplement.

Bob, is right. it is 150% solo supplement and RCI's math as explained to me for cruises being booked under this current promotion works in this order as follows -

they take the full cost of the cabin -- it must be a rack rate because we never really see the initial cabin cost

then they subtract whatever your balcony discount may be (usually prorated because of the sale),

they then multiply that rate by .75 to get the actual cost of the cabin

and then they take the 30% off that.

After that, they add the port charges and voila! -- the price of your cabin

Now, it doesn't take a PHD in Math. to understand that by applying the discounts in this order rather than in the reverse order that although we consumers are receiving the promotions/perks/sales they advertise, it is in the manner that puts more money into RC's pocket.

A moment ago, I just received my email from the Royal Caribbean Marketing Department alerting me to the "Adventure" sailings for fall 2018 and winter 2019 released today "exclusively" for Crown and Anchor Members.

Fortunately, I booked my sailings yesterday and likely would not have gotten the cabins I wanted had I waited for this email to arrive.

Did anyone get an email yesterday or am I the only one getting notifications a day late?

Was able to get my hump JS for my Adventure sailings by calling C&A. Prices are high.

As I am not a fan of the larger ships, I'm anxiously awaiting the Adventure itineraries - it will be nice to have a Voyager class ship back in Bayonne. Based on the other releases (which I have not been following) anyone have any idea what time she will open up in EST?

On Serenade in Feb. customs came onboard so we never had to leave the ship.

Hand a couple of dollars with your seapass card and ask the barman not to open can,it always works for me because they otherwise dont get any tips out of serving Diamond drinks.

 

love sailing with RCCL

I always tip the bartenders, so that is not the problem. It seemed specific to Serenade as I was told they received their instruction about opening cans from him/her and was told it was to be fleet wide. So far, that is not the case per these boards.

Liberty in December bartenders said the same thing, but my favorite bartender was still kind enough to take care of me, fortunately. Tipping doesn't hurt in this case. Like you, I like a soda or 2 later in the room when I am winding down.

Honestly, I am growing very tired of dealing with rules that differ from ship to ship. To my knowledge nothing regarding this policy has been published by RC or C&A and as such should not be implemented aboard any ship until such time as it is.

Using one of my 3 drink preloaded amenity, I have always gotten a can of soda at one of the bars to take back to my room for consumption late at night while watching a movie on my tablet. I just completed a B2B on Serenade and when requesting my can of soda was told by several different bartenders that the "new rule" requires them to open soda cans if they are given to a passenger who is using their Diamond and above drink amenity. Has anyone else experienced this on any other RCI ships?

I hope that they can come up with something to satisfy you. We are looking to take a multiple B2B cruise in 2019. Since one never knows when RCL will charter the ship and cancel all the existing reservations, how they handle your case will definitely have a impact whether we do it or not.

 

Please keep us informed as to how they treat you and come up with a satisfactory solution.

As promised, here is the resolution. I replaced the last two Serenade cruises on Feb. 16th and 26th with a B2B on Freedom 2/17 and 2/25.

It will mean another hotel for the night of the 16th when I get my Serenade sailings of Jan. 26th and Feb. 3. They offered me an E3 on both Freedom sailings, I upgraded to a JS.

Since I am getting OBC for each Freedom sailing, my out of pocket is around 350. total for the cabin upgrade and of course, my hotel bill for the night of the 16th when I get off Serenade.

Is it satisfactory? Hmm. Not entirely, but given that basically everything around the 16th is chartered or a ship I don't like sailing on, its ok. Given that I will be in a JS for the Freedom sailings, the loyalty points I will accrue are the same, (working on my turning-Pinnacle plan), so I will live with it.

I hope that they can come up with something to satisfy you. We are looking to take a multiple B2B cruise in 2019. Since one never knows when RCL will charter the ship and cancel all the existing reservations, how they handle your case will definitely have a impact whether we do it or not.

 

Please keep us informed as to how they treat you and come up with a satisfactory solution.

Will do.

Any update on the status of RCL canceling the middle cruise of a four cruise B2B? Please update us about how RCL handled this.

First off, the redeployment person who I spoke to when I called on Friday, Dec. 6th and was supposed to call me back on Monday, Dec 9th never did. On Wednesday, I received another phone from a completely different redeployment person, who stated that there were no notations on my account from whatever agent I had originally spoke to. She stated that the agent in all likelihood had probably left a note on his desk to himself to contact me and that the note was likely misplaced.

After explaining everything to her regarding the disruption of a continuous 42 night booking and the fact that one of the replacement offerings were for a sailing I was already booked on. She said needed to check with a supervisor to see how they were going to handle this case.

I asked if I could remain on the ship during the charter (as I have known this to be the case of other passengers, for example, Mario Salcedo) and was told she would check that out.

I also mentioned that all bookings that would fit into that ten day period out of Florida were now also either removed from inventory or would involve my flying to Tampa and back along with a hotel for one night.

She is supposed to get back to me sometime next week.

Because of a redeployment of the third leg of 4 consecutive cruises on Serenade of the Seas, I need to come up with other options since nothing is available out of Port Everglades to fill up the redeployment slot.

I have been looking at leaving Port Everglades and doing a 5/4 b2b on Brilliance out of Tampa and then coming back to Port Everglades to finish the 4th leg of my cruise.

Does anyone know of transportation options, like shuttles, between the ports?

I have a day to spare when I finish the second leg of my Serenade cruise before I have to board Brilliance.

I am most interested in getting back from Tampa to Port Everglades as Brilliance arrives at 7am and Serenade departs at 4pm on the same day.

It's sadly official - the cruise on 9th March 2018 has been 'redeployed'! :mad:

 

Some passengers have received an email, but others (including us) haven't, unless it has been sent to TA's!

 

RCI have offered sailings on 5th or 26th January as alternatives - no use at all if you'd booked the cruise as part of a back to back, as we and others had - or OBC if you rebook an RCI sailing.

For those of us booked on the February 16, 2018 10 night, we received our email yesterday with the same alternative dates. As I was already booked for 4 consecutive cruises that start on January 26th, the offerings are of no use to me either as I am booked on the February 26th cruise and would have to pay additional airfare home and back from NY to take that cruise as well as pay for another hotel stay. I called them and made my objections known about the offerings but due to the incident at the FLL airport all the higher ups were in emergency meetings, so the regular redeployment person said he would check with the supervisors about an alternative in my case and get back to me on Monday.

Did anyone ask about why RC is doing so many Serenade charters in the winter of 2018?

RC added a new sailing for Serenade out of PE - a 4ni. Western Caribbean that only visits Cozumel - Nov. 13-17, 2017. I believe they are narrowing the window for her refurbishment, so there may be additional short sailings added. She arrives in PE on Nov. 1st.

I honestly feel there should be a thread on the RC board and once anyone sees confirmation online about a charter taking place, they should post it. In many cases, it can be weeks to months after a sailing first shows up as sold out before those already-booked-via-RC passengers are "officially" notified.

In case anyone was planning spending time on Freedom of the Seas in early November of 2018, here is some information that I came across while trying to locate any information for my February 16th, 2018 cruise on the Serenade which is apparently now earmarked as a charter.

Freedom of the Seas 6 night western Caribbean Nov 4-10, 2018 will be an Alternative Lifestyle Cruise. The company is already taking deposits for cabins It is a full ship takeover and it is not yet posted to any theme cruise website.

Totally agree. Why would a Diamond pay to have access to what they already have??? Same for D+, who would have to pay more than D and would also have access to CL. And no Pinnacle would pay even more when they already have access to the Diamond Club. concierge lounge and Suite Lounge. I don't think the survey is legit.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I received this survey and the internet addy seems suspicious, so on most of the questions I chose "prefer not to say". I chose that I would not purchase the perks and when it asked why this was my reply:

I believe loyalty should be earned not bought. I have spent many years and dollars to earn the loyalty perks that I currently had. I feel that allowing others to "buy into" those perks is a slap in the face to those passengers that have earned their perks as a result of the number of cruises or days spent aboard RC ships and would not add my dollars to support any program that would do so.

It is important to visit the RC website to check on the status of your RC sailing as the Cruise Line has the right to charter your cruise.

Notification from RC that your sailing is a charter can take more than a month after a sailing appears as "sold out" or is removed from inventory entirely.

Can't remember which RC ship I was on, but a few years ago, a passenger who had the balcony cabin next to mine was fall down drunk and tried to climb over the rail to my balcony and introduced himself. I called security and they came immediately, secured the balcony door so it could not be opened and sat outside his cabin until we reached port- he was escorted off the ship.