No more price drops for RC?

[linedancer]

WOW -- this does not sit well. I will no longer book so far in advance, unless I believe it is really a great price.

 

Last year we got such a great price drop on the Liberty. We always felt comfortable booking early. This way you can pick your cabin and if you are traveling with others you can book your rooms together.

 

We finally made Diamond and now they keep changing the rules. :confused:

 

Not Happy RCCL

 

Irene :(

[InsideCruiser]

Hmm, I was just about to book my first cruise (10 people) during the WOW sale tomorrow. I guess now I'll wait and watch prices.

 

Mark

[swooldri]

There goes one of the RCI advantages over Princess....this more or less levels the playing field. BAD move RCI.

"book early for the best price"...NOT

[Puffinater]

But with this new Price Guarantee Program does that mean that they are eliminating senior/residency/military/police& fire discounts? It is still listed on their website as being available.

 

Please tell me that isn't so.:(

 

Never even thought about that part of it. I think depression is setting in.

[Maybaybie10]

Do you think it's possible that this would only apply to people booking from this point on? Wouldn't the people who booked before today be "grandfathered" so to speak? The reason a lot of people book so early on such an expensive cruise is to get the room they want and they only have to put a small deposit down and then they just wait for price drops until final payment comes due. This is sort-of bait and switch now wouldn't you say? I can't believe there isn't something we are missing because if there is a significant price drop people are just going to be canceling and rescheduling and that is going to get old really quick for RC. :mad:

[cruisenfever]

Never even thought about that part of it. I think depression is setting in.

Depressing is putting it mildly.

[EVALUATOR]

Do you think it's possible that this would only apply to people booking from this point on? Wouldn't the people who booked before today be "grandfathered" so to speak? The reason a lot of people book so early on such an expensive cruise is to get the room they want and they only have to put a small deposit down and then they just wait for price drops until final payment comes due. This is sort-of bait and switch now wouldn't you say? I can't believe there isn't something we are missing because if there is a significant price drop people are just going to be canceling and rescheduling and that is going to get old really quick for RC. :mad:

 

They don't even have the information for the old price drop refund policy on their website anymore. Sure it is covered under the "can be withdrawn at any time" clause.

[Hypo]

The 110% guarantee is essentially meaningless. It does not apply to special sales offers such as WOW sales. It only applies to their published prices, and, since they control the pricing that TAs can offer they will not often be honoring this guarantee.

 

I guess that the best way for us to counter this is to continue to monitor prices, and book at the last minute or before all of the cabins in a class become sold out. We probably wont book until about 30 days before the cruise. Also, cruises that would require a long lead time for air flights won't be of much interest to us in the future.

 

This might result in a negative impact on their cash flow, as they have significant amounts on deposit under the current system. As I said, we will wait till the last minute and pay for the cruise in full. Or alternatively, look at other cruise lines.

 

It is not a good deal if you have a specific cabin in mind.

 

Hypo

[madforcruising]

Sure enough another WOW - Why Not move:rolleyes::(

[cruisenfever]

Here is what they announced last September..............that was 8 months ago!:eek:

Price Protection Program Offers Guests Cruise Line’s Lowest Advertised Fare

Miami, FL (Vocus) September 22, 2009 -- Vacationers can enjoy the benefits of booking early and the peace of mind of receiving the best advertised prices with Royal Caribbean International’s Best Price Guarantee program. By booking early, vacationers have access to a much wider selection of staterooms and availability on their desired departure date. If the guest then finds a lower fare advertised by Royal Caribbean for the same ship, sail-date and stateroom category, they can receive the difference in price as an onboard credit to spend on cocktails, spa services, specialty dining and other shipboard purchases. Any dollars not spent will be refunded at the conclusion of the cruise.

 

“Best Price Guarantee gives guests peace of mind, allowing them to plan ahead, book early and get the staterooms and excursions that they want with no worries that a better deal will come along after they’ve committed,” said Betsy O’Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “We want our guests to know that they received a good deal from us, which helps them enjoy their vacation with us even more.”

 

Guests can take advantage of Royal Caribbean’s Best Price Guarantee immediately from the time of booking to up to 72 hours prior to sailing. When guests booked with Royal Caribbean find a subsequent qualifying lower price advertised by the cruise line after they’ve booked, they simply contact Royal Caribbean or their travel agent, who will make the request to the cruise line. The difference in pricing will be provided in the form of an onboard credit. For reservations outside of the final payment period, onboard credit may be replaced, upon request, with a reduction to guests’ outstanding balance or a refund, as applicable. A limited number of pricing programs are excluded from the Best Price Guarantee program and does not apply to group bookings. Other terms and conditions may apply. For full terms and conditions, please visit http://www.RoyalCaribbean.com/BestPriceGuarantee.

 

Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 20 ships currently in service and two under construction. The line also offers unique cruise tour land packages in Alaska, Canada, Dubai, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. For additional information or to make reservations, call your travel agent, visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN. Travel professionals should go to http://www.cruisingpower.com

[cruisedawgg]

..say you booked a cruise for $1000, final pymt due 10/1/2010. You deposited 200, so you owe 800.

 

Are some of you's saying that you'll now be waiting until 9/30/2010 or the last possible moment to pay off that 800 so you can monitor price drops, and if there was one, cancel and rebook your cruise?

 

If so, I hope RC is ready for the mess it may be causing!

[uksimonusa]

This new program states at the bottom that it only applies to North American Reservations, the Price Protection Programme, is still listed on the RCI UK site.

[EVALUATOR]

Here is what they announced last September..............that was 8 months ago!:eek:

Price Protection Program Offers Guests Cruise Line’s Lowest Advertised Fare

Miami, FL (Vocus) September 22, 2009 -- Vacationers can enjoy the benefits of booking early and the peace of mind of receiving the best advertised prices with Royal Caribbean International’s Best Price Guarantee program. By booking early, vacationers have access to a much wider selection of staterooms and availability on their desired departure date. If the guest then finds a lower fare advertised by Royal Caribbean for the same ship, sail-date and stateroom category, they can receive the difference in price as an onboard credit to spend on cocktails, spa services, specialty dining and other shipboard purchases. Any dollars not spent will be refunded at the conclusion of the cruise.

 

“Best Price Guarantee gives guests peace of mind, allowing them to plan ahead, book early and get the staterooms and excursions that they want with no worries that a better deal will come along after they’ve committed,” said Betsy O’Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “We want our guests to know that they received a good deal from us, which helps them enjoy their vacation with us even more.”

 

Guests can take advantage of Royal Caribbean’s Best Price Guarantee immediately from the time of booking to up to 72 hours prior to sailing. When guests booked with Royal Caribbean find a subsequent qualifying lower price advertised by the cruise line after they’ve booked, they simply contact Royal Caribbean or their travel agent, who will make the request to the cruise line. The difference in pricing will be provided in the form of an onboard credit. For reservations outside of the final payment period, onboard credit may be replaced, upon request, with a reduction to guests’ outstanding balance or a refund, as applicable. A limited number of pricing programs are excluded from the Best Price Guarantee program and does not apply to group bookings. Other terms and conditions may apply. For full terms and conditions, please visit http://www.RoyalCaribbean.com/BestPriceGuarantee.

 

Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 20 ships currently in service and two under construction. The line also offers unique cruise tour land packages in Alaska, Canada, Dubai, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. For additional information or to make reservations, call your travel agent, visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN. Travel professionals should go to http://www.cruisingpower.com

I noticed the best price guarantee link in the post now goes to the within 48 hours promotion and not the old program.

[gjkubel]

Smart, RCI. I was going to book an Allure cruise tomorrow for 2012, but you just convinced me to wait. And waiting gives me time to think about other options. I'm sure the numbers were crunched, but somehow you keep finding ways to tick off your most loyal customers.

[Cruising89143]

..say you booked a cruise for $1000, final pymt due 10/1/2010. You deposited 200, so you owe 800.

 

Are some of you's saying that you'll now be waiting until 9/30/2010 or the last possible moment to pay off that 800 so you can monitor price drops, and if there was one, cancel and rebook your cruise?

 

If so, I hope RC is ready for the mess it may be causing!

 

More than likely, they won't let you cancel and rebook. They will flag you. I think that NCL is this way now.

 

We all have Vicki Freed to thank for this one. Miss Carnival herself.

[EVALUATOR]

..say you booked a cruise for $1000, final pymt due 10/1/2010. You deposited 200, so you owe 800.

 

Are some of you's saying that you'll now be waiting until 9/30/2010 or the last possible moment to pay off that 800 so you can monitor price drops, and if there was one, cancel and rebook your cruise?

 

If so, I hope RC is ready for the mess it may be causing!

Sounds like how it will work now.

[jmom5]

I am so bummed right now. I was planning on booking a B2B on the Radiance during this upcoming WOW sale, and now seeing this, I'm just going to hold out. We usually cruise during the off season and prices always come down close to the sailing so I guess I will take my chances and just wait until closer to the sail date. :(

[kc320]

wow..they just seem determined to tick off their most loyal customers don't they? I always book my cruises at least a year out..sometimes longer...I know there was never any guarentee of a price drop..but it was always fun to check & hope..now they have really stacked the deck against us... TA's can't discount their cruises..so what are the chances of finding a "lower" price within 48 hours? Guess it really is time to see what other lines have to offer in cruise expereinces...:(

[OhioJeff]

More than likely, they won't let you cancel and rebook. They will flag you. I think that NCL is this way now.

 

.

That's exactly what I was thinking, otherwise, they would spend way too much time rebooking pax.

[EVALUATOR]

This new program states at the bottom that it only applies to North American Reservations, the Price Protection Programme, is still listed on the RCI UK site.

It is listed on the UK website under FAQs, but do any of the links take you to the terms and conditions information? They are inactive for me when looking at them on the UK website.

[PrincesScuba]

If you follow the link to RC's website, it says that this new policy applies to bookings made on or after today. (May 17, 2010)

 

That should mean that any previously booked cruise can still get price drops.

[BlueCat1105]

There goes one of the RCI advantages over Princess....this more or less levels the playing field. BAD move RCI.

"book early for the best price"...NOT

 

Princess does honor price drops, so how would that have been an advantage for RCI?

[OhioJeff]

If you follow the link to RC's website, it says that this new policy applies to bookings made on or after today. (May 17, 2010)

 

That should mean that any previously booked cruise can still get price drops.

If that true, it salt in the wounds for people that held off booking and putting a hold on cruises this weekend waiting on the WOW sale. But, great for those already booked.

 

Hopefully, they will have a press release today. Somehow, I think the days of price drops are over for Royal.

[InsideCruiser]

I called my TA, she was planning on booking 5 cabins for me tomorrow during the WOW sale. She had no idea bout this policy change..

 

Anyway, she called RC and was told the price would be protected until final payment (I think this is usually 3 months prior to departure?). Presumably this is because it would be less hassle then having customers cancel and rebook?

 

I'm suspicious. If this were true, why not state it in the new policy?

 

Mark

[cruisenfever]

If you follow the link to RC's website, it says that this new policy applies to bookings made on or after today. (May 17, 2010)

 

That should mean that any previously booked cruise can still get price drops.

That's what it should mean..........but does it?