"Next Cruise" Not Really Worth It

On board Oasis for the 12/17 sailing (we had a great time) and decided to try the Next Cruise department because of the constant barrage of promotions for the program on the TV, in the Compass, and the signs all over the ship touting the great benefits they were offering. The lovely lady assured me that this was going to be better than doing it any other way. I didn't do any prior research so I took her word and signed up for a 5 day Bermuda on the Anthem in May of 2019 figuring that being this far out I should get a really great rate. I came away with what I thought was a fair price, $100 OBC, and a deposit of $100 for a balcony cabin.

Now that I'm home I decided I would check things out and built the same cruise (same date, cabin type, deck, etc) on the RCL website. It turns out that the all in price on the website is $80 LOWER than what I got through the Next Cruise folks. The only difference is that the online deposit is $250.

I won't say that Next Cruise is a waste of time because I had fun going through the planning process with a live RCL agent but as for giving a great value my experience certainly doesn't prove their claim. Maybe I was just unlucky in my choice of cruise and there are deals to be had elsewhere on less popular ships or itineraries. I'd love to hear other peoples' experiences.

Can you call Royal and see if they will lower your price?

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Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

Can you call Royal and see if they will lower your price?

 

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Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

OP should have no problem getting the lower price as they are well before final payment date.

Bill

Interesting. I wonder why the OP wasn't given the better price initially.

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Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

Interesting. I wonder why the OP wasn't given the better price initially.

 

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Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

It’s quite possible that the price dropped between the time they booked and the time they got home and checked.

OP call and get a price adjustment.....not a big deal.

Not a big deal, I have seen rates change during the course of a single day. Call res, they’ll be happy to book the lower rate.

Yes, the prices change constantly. Call RCL and they will lower you final cost. I call ALL the time!!!

I have the same experience as the OP. Was on Mariner 11/17 and they had the special $100 OBC for first day booking only. Went 12/17 and ready to book on first day for the OBC but they don't have that any more. So no advantage at all.

In OP case she might have booked the non-refundable. So not sure if she can get the lower website price with the $100 OBC.

I have never got a better price onboard/.

I have the same experience as the OP. Was on Mariner 11/17 and they had the special $100 OBC for first day booking only. Went 12/17 and ready to book on first day for the OBC but they don't have that any more. So no advantage at all.

In OP case she might have booked the non-refundable. So not sure if she can get the lower website price with the $100 OBC.

Non refundable fares are still eligible for price drops and you keep the $100 OBC for booking on board.

Weird...

We booked next cruise on board...

Normally, for a 7 day, 6 months out, balcony room=, you get $100 OBC but they said they changed it to $76 OBC (for refundable). You only get $100 if you purchase a non-refundable.

This was on the Oasis Dec 24-31 sailing.

Non refundable fares are still eligible for price drops and you keep the $100 OBC for booking on board.

Yes, we have received a lower price when the price dropped, and kept the $100 OBC for booking on the cruise.

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It was my understanding that there is no longer a reduced deposit for onboard bookings. Did they change that back? $100 down payment sounds like the old deposit amounts are back.

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It was my understanding that there is no longer a reduced deposit for onboard bookings. Did they change that back? $100 down payment sounds like the old deposit amounts are back.

They recently added reduced deposits for onboard booking, but only for non-refundable deposit fares.

They recently added reduced deposits for onboard booking, but only for non-refundable deposit fares.

Oh ok, well I still won’t be booking onboard then because I refuse to book a non-refundable fare.

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I would never book a NRD cruise without doing some research first.

We booked Anthem 11/11/17 onboard Adventure 03/11/17. My sister and her husband booked Anthem 11/11/17 in July 2017 just a couple weeks before final payment. Same category,same price. They are gold, we were platinum. The only difference was the OBC we received.

If you re-price your non refundable booking with less than 6 months til sail date I know you would keep your OBC from booking onboard but would you lose the bonus OBC that they give you for booking 6 months ahead??

If you re-price your non refundable booking with less than 6 months til sail date I know you would keep your OBC from booking onboard but would you lose the bonus OBC that they give you for booking 6 months ahead??

Don't know for sure, but I would bet you would lose it, like when they take away $25 of the balcony discount in the same situation.

Don't know for sure, but I would bet you would lose it, like when they take away $25 of the balcony discount in the same situation.

That would be my guess as well. Eventually someone will be posting about it= Happy New Year

That would be my guess as well. Eventually someone will be posting about it= Happy New Year

Thanks Ellen, Happy New Year to you and Dan too. :)

We just sailed on Anthem over Christmas and booked the same cruise for next year. I did a little homework before meeting with the next cruise consultant. I knew what we had paid for this year and also went online through a booking to see what I could get there.

In our case, the deal we were offered was better than what was available on line. We did pay the $100 non refundable deposit to get it. If we paid the standard deposit then we got the online prices. I was actually going through a booking on my iPad while we were sitting with the consultant so it was very clear what was going on. I’m don’t remember what the difference from online turned out to be as I didn’t write in down, but I know we are paying $576 less than we did for this year’s cruise (total for two connecting cabins) so we are happy.

I actually waited to book our Harmony cruise until we boarded Oasis. Did that to gain the extra 100.00 OBC for a total of 200.00 versus the 100.00 if booked during promo online. Worked for me. ;)

And of course, should the pricing go down...so does my cruise balance with a simple call to CS.

So...yeah..it was worth it to me. :)

The advantages are a lower deposit (but be aware that longer cruises still require $450 per passenger) and either some OBC or a price reduction equal to that amount (we always choose the latter). Fare differences prior to final payment are easily adjusted (my TA is really on the ball when it comes to price drops). We're fine with non-refundable, since our annual travel insurance includes "cancel for any reason." What I've noticed is that we're always quoted those lower fares, and insurance is added in. Since we have an annual policy, and are covered for cancellations, we don't need either. So we lose nothing by booking onboard. Look the deal over carefully before handing over your credit card.

Does the $100 OBC make it worth it? Many booking sites won't give that much in OBC. Asking you experienced cruisers. Thank you!