Deposit Policies in various countries

As the most internationalist (is it a word?) cruise line for mixed set of guests in the RCI group i.e UK,USA, Europeans, Canadians, Australians etc is it not time to harmonise your deposit policies and set a precedent as a forward looking company .

It is well known that some USA guests book multiple cruises and drop them at $50 cost just before final payment vs UK guests who have to pay maybe $750 which is non refundable.

USA guests then force you into discounting after final payment reducing profitability.

Additionally new UK consumer regulations may force you to change deposit policies to "reasonable costs" which is certainly not $750 to cancel a booking.

Be proactive and discourage multiple booking by increasing non refundable deposits for those who might abuse system.

Previous records should be available for each customer detailing cancellation history.

Any legitimate cancellations will be covered by their insurances.

Deposit policies have not generally come up as a concern when checking through all guest relation issues. Additionally, policies tend to be regulated by local consumer authorities or they’re consistent with industry standards within a region. If the policies of local regulatory agencies or our industry competitive sector change, we are also likely to make modifications.

Deposit policies have not generally come up as a concern when checking through all guest relation issues. Additionally, policies tend to be regulated by local consumer authorities or they’re consistent with industry standards within a region. If the policies of local regulatory agencies or our industry competitive sector change, we are also likely to make modifications.

While your statement is true and accurate, it is also true that when travelers from the UK or Australia are informed of the major disparity that exists in booking and deposit rules for their countries vs. the US/Canada harsh words appear that are spreading across forums like these.

They are not words and phrases that will result in more bookings or satisfied customers.

I recommend that you point your survey personnel to explore this issue in more depth.