No more price drops for RC?

[lovemylab]

Another thing I wonder about is Next Cruise Bookings. In the past when I made a booking using a Next Cruise Certificate the date of booking on all my documents was the date I purchased the next cruise certificate - not the date I actually called RCCL to reserve a particular sailing. Anyone know whether next cruise certificates purchased before May 17th will be grandfathered into the old policy?

[cruisenfever]

Could you elaborate as to whether or not the cruise was in the penalty phase after final payment date or if your client had paid off the cruise prior to final payment date?

Since her client booked prior to May 17, she doesn't fall into the new penalty phase as she was grandfathered in.

 

You just have to remind the reps when you call. This is where the confusion is going to come into play with the resps.............all those cruises booked prior to May 17.:(

 

Another thing I wonder about is Next Cruise Bookings. In the past when I made a booking using a Next Cruise Certificate the date of booking on all my documents was the date I purchased the next cruise certificate - not the date I actually called RCCL to reserve a particular sailing. Anyone know whether next cruise certificates purchased before May 17th will be grandfathered into the old policy?

It should be the same as it is with those NC bookings purchased prior to January 1, 2009. With those NC booking you can still combine any/all benefits.

 

The date of purchase determines what policy you fall under not the date that you activate your booking number. Again, you have to remind the reps. I still have one NC that I purchased in 2007 that needs to be activated.

[finucane]

My Price Drop Guarantee...

 

WOW, this all sounds like the eternal rambling that went on about the "Fuel Surcharge" debacle way back when... The cruiselines lost that one too because of the sheer numbers of consumer complaints, mostly here on Cruise Critic.

 

My Price Drop Guarantee is simple and I can understand it. They (RCCL) can set any policy they want, mine is the only one that counts! When/if the time comes that my fare drops and RCCL (or any cruiseline) does not honor it as in the past then I am done with them, plain and simple. See, pretty simple and to the point, not a 2,000+ page health bill!:eek:

They can write up any policy they want, it can not be understood anyway, watch how often they will change that wording in the near future.

 

I am a tired and worn consumer and am tired of the constant ripping off of society for the all-mighty dollar. That is all I can do, nothing more...

The dollar talks so I hope (I know) RCCL is listening.

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

OK, eat me alive, I'm outta here!:eek::D:p

 

Have a good weekend everyone and let the battle continue, this thread has major potential.

Keep up the good work...

[critterchick]

The rep replied "Oh uh, yes, that's right. The drop will be applied as on board credit. Please hold, I have to get another department to make the change." (never had that happen before)

 

You've been lucky - I've always had to wait for somebody in another department to apply the OBC. Refunds have been immediate.

 

My Price Drop Guarantee is simple and I can understand it. They (RCCL) can set any policy they want, mine is the only one that counts! When/if the time comes that my fare drops and RCCL (or any cruiseline) does not honor it as in the past then I am done with them, plain and simple. See, pretty simple and to the point, not a 2,000+ page health bill!

 

And where will you take your cruise business (asking mildly). The other mass market lines have beaten RCI to the punch on this one.

[mommabean]

You've been lucky - I've always had to wait for somebody in another department to apply the OBC. Refunds have been immediate.

 

 

 

And where will you take your cruise business (asking mildly). The other mass market lines have beaten RCI to the punch on this one.

 

Carnival still has an early saver program that guarantees the lowest price up until 72 hours prior to sailing. It does require early booking with a non-refundable but transferable deposit - but the price is cheaper than the price with a refundable deposit. It's totally different than anything RCI offers but it's a reasonable and interesting option.

 

Gina

[finucane]

You've been lucky - I've always had to wait for somebody in another department to apply the OBC. Refunds have been immediate.

 

 

 

And where will you take your cruise business (asking mildly). The other mass market lines have beaten RCI to the punch on this one.

 

Respectfully, that is not the case, at least in our experiences over the years, even in the past couple of months...

 

Regardless, we have enough cruises under our belts to just plain and simple give it up and do something else... Maybe that time is coming, I am not going to get gouged!

 

Have never had a problem with RCCL as of yet and certainly have had no issue of price reductions on ANY other cruise line...

I am sure if these new policies are becoming true then the cruiselines will, as they did for many of their botched policies reconsider. If not then so be it, they won't get me anymore.

 

Hey, it's not the end of the world for us, we have done it all!

[GrannyMouse]

Guess I'm not quite with the program here but I always thought you only received OBC after final payment. The way I read the new rules this only applies to reservations made after final payment is due. Everything else is the same. Am I missing something?

[mommabean]

Guess I'm not quite with the program here but I always thought you only received OBC after final payment. The way I read the new rules this only applies to reservations made after final payment is due. Everything else is the same. Am I missing something?

 

Yes...you are missing something. From now on, cruises that you book will NOT get OBC or a price reduction of any type AFTER final payment is due (other than the current 48 hour policy should you happen to book within the penalty period) - no matter how much the price drops. You may upgrade your cabin at the current price if anything is available, but there will be no refunds.

 

Let's say you book a JS a week before final payment for $1998 a person. A week after you pay it off, the price drops to $1249 a person....too bad. The person next to you might be paying $1500 less than you for the same cruise in the same category room.

 

That's the problem. Many people won't notice the difference since they never check the price again. Those of us who check prices won't be very happy about that.

 

Gina

[RevSmith]

money, money, money, money...in this case not ours Royal Caribbean's.:(

[cruisenfever]

Yes...you are missing something. From now on, cruises that you book will NOT get OBC or a price reduction of any type AFTER final payment is due (other than the current 48 hour policy should you happen to book within the penalty period) - no matter how much the price drops. You may upgrade your cabin at the current price if anything is available, but there will be no refunds.

 

Let's say you book a JS a week before final payment for $1998 a person. A week after you pay it off, the price drops to $1249 a person....too bad. The person next to you might be paying $1500 less than you for the same cruise in the same category room.

 

That's the problem. Many people won't notice the difference since they never check the price again. Those of us who check prices won't be very happy about that.

 

Gina

I'm so glad you explained it. I started to and then got lost in translation.:o

 

I do like what Carnival does with the early saver program. Makes them a standout among others. Would be nice if RCI did something like that.

[GrannyMouse]

Yes...you are missing something. From now on, cruises that you book will NOT get OBC or a price reduction of any type AFTER final payment is due (other than the current 48 hour policy should you happen to book within the penalty period) - no matter how much the price drops. You may upgrade your cabin at the current price if anything is available, but there will be no refunds.

 

Let's say you book a JS a week before final payment for $1998 a person. A week after you pay it off, the price drops to $1249 a person....too bad. The person next to you might be paying $1500 less than you for the same cruise in the same category room.

 

That's the problem. Many people won't notice the difference since they never check the price again. Those of us who check prices won't be very happy about that.

 

Gina

 

I'm so sorry you explained it!! That is very sad. Guess I won't be booking until last minute from now on. Which other lines have this same policy?

[cruisenfever]

I'm so sorry you explained it!! That is very sad. Guess I won't be booking until last minute from now on. Which other lines have this same policy?

All of them.:(

[Maraprince]

Lately, RCCI's pricing is higher than other lines. If they seriously think that passengers will be happy of the change in policy, boy are they in for a surprise! The complaints will start pouring in.

 

Carnival offers better pricing to start off with. With Early Saver booking you are rewarded for booking early if the price drops. Carnival posts their pricing 4 times a day. Does that tell you anything about how competitive the market is?

 

MARAPRINCE

[mommabean]

Lately, RCCI's pricing is higher than other lines. If they seriously think that passengers will be happy of the change in policy, boy are they in for a surprise! The complaints will start pouring in.

 

Carnival offers better pricing to start off with. With Early Saver booking you are rewarded for booking early if the price drops. Carnival posts their pricing 4 times a day. Does that tell you anything about how competitive the market is?

 

MARAPRINCE

 

That's a toss up depending on the cruise. I have a Carnival Mexican Riviera cruise booked for just about the same price as my previous RCI Mexican Riviera cruises for a similar room - only....RCI's similar room (JS compared to CCL OS) is a bit larger and RCI's cruise was one and two days (RCI 10 -11 compared to CCL 9 day) longer.

 

I got 2 cruise credits on RCI....one on CCL with no real benefits for me on CCL.

 

I've noticed this comparing other CCL vs. RCI cruises. Neither has consistently better pricing. I just prefer RCI although I like CCL, too in spite of the old CCL ships being no where near as nice as the old RCI ships. (Fantasty and Fascination compared to Monarch and Majesty)

 

Gina

[firefly333]

I do like what Carnival does with the early saver program. Makes them a standout among others. Would be nice if RCI did something like that.

 

Carnival started off same as RCL did just now... they stopped giving out price drops on 12/1/08... it wasnt until late January 09 that they introduced ES and since you had to book 5 months out.. lots of us fell into the in between when we had booked and our price reductions were not grandfathered in so we lost them.

 

Im thinking RCL might still follow Carnival's lead and introduce a fare like ES (hopefully not with so many rules, but they might, like no name changes, etc). This could be just a first step toward another fare like Carnival's ES.

[sledhead]

Well that was one of the things I preferred about RCI over other cruise lines was the fact they would and have for me on 3 occasions given me a OBC or a cc refund if the price dropped. You booked early and in good faith that you were getting a great price and if it dropped then they would help you well not anymore !

 

This will tick a lot of people off. Especially the ones that go on the cruise line websites often and they see the prices dropping. I guess Carnival has the better policy now and might get more of my business as a result.

[petesweet]

My Price Drop Guarantee is simple and I can understand it. They (RCCL) can set any policy they want, mine is the only one that counts! When/if the time comes that my fare drops and RCCL (or any cruiseline) does not honor it as in the past then I am done with them, plain and simple.

 

Then I guess you don't enjoy cruising as much as I do. I'd rather the cruise line stayed in business so I could enjoy my hobby.

Kathy

[petesweet]

I am not going to get gouged!

 

Wow! They stop doing something very generous and you say then you are being gouged?:eek:

Kathy

[marci22]

Wow! They stop doing something very generous and you say then you are being gouged?:eek:

 

Kathy

 

They weren't doing it to be "generous", they were doing it to get people to book early, so they'd have an idea of how the ship was going to sell. Now they decided that they don't need early bookings; that's fine, I'll approach my planning in a different way.

[cruisenfever]

Well that was one of the things I preferred about RCI over other cruise lines was the fact they would and have for me on 3 occasions given me a OBC or a cc refund if the price dropped. You booked early and in good faith that you were getting a great price and if it dropped then they would help you well not anymore !

 

This will tick a lot of people off. Especially the ones that go on the cruise line websites often and they see the prices dropping. I guess Carnival has the better policy now and might get more of my business as a result.

You are still going to get price reductions/OBC up to 72 hours prior to sailing for any cruise you booked prior to May 17.

 

Any cruise booked on or after May 17 will still get price reductions, but just up until final payment.

[finucane]

Then I guess you don't enjoy cruising as much as I do. I'd rather the cruise line stayed in business so I could enjoy my hobby.

Kathy

I agree, but trust me Kathy, they are very financially sound. Have you noticed the cruise lines are one of the few industries that have bounced back 100%+ since the economy went south the past 9 years? That is a good thing but it is up to the consumer to keep them in line as was the case with their Fuel Surcharge debacle several years ago. When they are wrong it is up to us to let them know AND they usually regain consciousness and figure it out.

 

Wow! They stop doing something very generous and you say then you are being gouged?:eek:

,

Kathy

Respectfully Kathy, not a clue!

Have you read up on the practices of the cruise industry? Many, many books, maybe try this one: Devils On The Deep Blue Sea, it will give you a totally different look at it all, a healthy look...

 

They weren't doing it to be "generous", they were doing it to get people to book early, so they'd have an idea of how the ship was going to sell. Now they decided that they don't need early bookings; that's fine, I'll approach my planning in a different way.

Thank you Marci, my point exactly...

[dfishner]

Carnival still has an early saver program that guarantees the lowest price up until 72 hours prior to sailing. It does require early booking with a non-refundable but transferable deposit - but the price is cheaper than the price with a refundable deposit. It's totally different than anything RCI offers but it's a reasonable and interesting option.

 

Gina

 

We experienced that last summer on Carnival, we booked the early saver program two cabins one inside one OV we received 3 price drops on each cabin, two of the drops came the last week before we cruised. Called my TA who argued with me that I would not get it I insisted she call and 5 minutes latter we had additional OBC added to both cabins. This was the first time we ever used the Early Saver program and it worked out well for us.

[dfishner]

Since RCL clearified their wording on this it is easier to make a decision on what we are going to do. Since we live in Ft Lauderdale and not have to worry about plane tickets and tend to cruise between Nov-Jan on the shoulder season. We will now book our cruise after final payment unless I see a cruise rate to good to pass up.

 

Just maybe RCL will start with more reasonable rates when a ship first becomes availabe for booking like they did with Oasis. I have not seen a lower rate on Oasis since we booked when reservations first opened, then this whole situation with price drops will somewhat disappear. Of course we can all debate what is reasonable but that is for another thread LOL.

[crusinmama06]

I'm so glad you explained it. I started to and then got lost in translation.:o

 

I do like what Carnival does with the early saver program. Makes them a standout among others. Would be nice if RCI did something like that.

 

I can tell you that Carnival's ES isn't fabulous in all situations though.

 

When they say "no name changes" they are serious. There is a young man with 2 kids who had planned to sail as a family of 4 (mom, dad and two kids). Well, 2 weeks before the cruise, mom decided that she just didn't want to be in the relationship anymore with dad. The booking was Early Saver. Dad had already made final payment. He had to eat that entire amount he paid for mom and he went on the cruise without her.

 

He couldn't transfer anyone else into that booking. :( Not even grandma.

[cruisenfever]

I can tell you that Carnival's ES isn't fabulous in all situations though.

 

When they say "no name changes" they are serious. There is a young man with 2 kids who had planned to sail as a family of 4 (mom, dad and two kids). Well, 2 weeks before the cruise, mom decided that she just didn't want to be in the relationship anymore with dad. The booking was Early Saver. Dad had already made final payment. He had to eat that entire amount he paid for mom and he went on the cruise without her.

 

He couldn't transfer anyone else into that booking. :( Not even grandma.

WOW, how sad is that.:(

 

So, I guess there are pros and cons to any program.