Price drops for UK cruisers on fly/cruise package?

[suekay]

We usually book through a US TA but grabbed a bargain on a fly-cruise package through a UK TA for December. Is it possible to get price drops (or rather, pay for an upgrade if the price of a higher category cabin drops) if you are on a package. I seem to remember reading that if flights are included, price drops are refused and you can only upgrade by paying the price applicable when you booked. Am I dreaming, or can anybody tell me what does happen?

[sidari]

Sue ... we booked an inclusive air/cruise from Manchester for May, we originally had a Z guarantee and had paid in Full due to booking on the payment due date! RCI moved us to a Cat N Inside .. a few weeks ago they reduced the price of the Z Guarantee and were prepared to give us the price drop despite having paid in Full! We decided instead to pay more and move to an X Guarantee Balcony, RCI gave us an E1 Balcony .... :) but yesterday reduced the prices on the X grade but Refused us the price drop saying it was for New bookings only!! figure it out if you can.

 

A couple from Canada on our cruise had a PR Inside overlooking the Royal promenade, they saw a price drop and moved to a Balcony for less than they were paying for the PR and were also given the $98pp price difference as OBC, we asked about the price drop money for the Inside X being given as OBC and were told NO! you can have it repaid to your Credit Card .... :rolleyes:

[suekay]

Sue ... we booked an inclusive air/cruise from Manchester for May, we originally had a Z guarantee and had paid in Full due to booking on the payment due date! RCI moved us to a Cat N Inside .. a few weeks ago they reduced the price of the Z Guarantee and were prepared to give us the price drop despite having paid in Full! We decided instead to pay more and move to an X Guarantee Balcony, RCI gave us an E1 Balcony .... :) but yesterday reduced the prices on the X grade but Refused us the price drop saying it was for New bookings only!! figure it out if you can.

I can't figure it out either:confused: but at least you can console yourselves knowing you're now in a balcony cabin.....even if you didn't get the latest price drop:mad:

 

I'll have to keep checking prices.....but only til final payment date!

[sidari]

Sue ... Sent you E mail with Info which may be of use to you, not allowed to put it on here sadly.

[Albert Ross]

I seem to remember reading that if flights are included, price drops are refused and you can only upgrade by paying the price applicable when you booked. Am I dreaming, or can anybody tell me what does happen?

You were dreaming! That is not true. If the cruise fare drops you pay the cost of the new cruise fare. If the air fare drops then tough ;) you still pay the cost of the airfare at the time of booking.

Some prices at the moment are only for new bookings and you cannot have them. There is no way to tell this via the website so you always have to get your agent to call and ask.

[Albert Ross]

Sue ... we booked an inclusive air/cruise from Manchester for May, we originally had a Z guarantee and had paid in Full due to booking on the payment due date! RCI moved us to a Cat N Inside .. a few weeks ago they reduced the price of the Z Guarantee and were prepared to give us the price drop despite having paid in Full! We decided instead to pay more and move to an X Guarantee Balcony, RCI gave us an E1 Balcony .... :) but yesterday reduced the prices on the X grade but Refused us the price drop saying it was for New bookings only!! figure it out if you can.

 

A couple from Canada on our cruise had a PR Inside overlooking the Royal promenade, they saw a price drop and moved to a Balcony for less than they were paying for the PR and were also given the $98pp price difference as OBC, we asked about the price drop money for the Inside X being given as OBC and were told NO! you can have it repaid to your Credit Card .... :rolleyes:

 

WXYZs are usually for new bookings so you lucked out when you were able to swap to an X. There seem to be a lot of price codes at the moment which are for new bookings only.

In the UK they give the price reduction back to your CC not as OBC. It is different to the USA. Be thankful that the UK allow price drops after final payment too which they do not in the USA. It isn't all bad over here.

[sidari]

Albert .... the price of the Inside had gone down not a Balcony and our Z Inside was a New booking, although yesterday RCI dropped the Balcony prices to £699 cruise only and today in their so called Promo sale increased them to £799!

With regard to a price drop as OBC it is beyond me why RCI find it so difficult to give it as they do with the USA.

 

Yes the price drops are good for us after final payment but remembering that in the USA they can Cancel before Final payment and not lose their Deposit and can also Cancel a booked cabin before Final payment and rebook a better Grade at a lower price that may be available again without losing their Desposit and any difference in price is given as OBC.

 

It is far from a level playing field.

[suekay]

You were dreaming! That is not true. If the cruise fare drops you pay the cost of the new cruise fare. If the air fare drops then tough ;) you still pay the cost of the airfare at the time of booking.

Some prices at the moment are only for new bookings and you cannot have them. There is no way to tell this via the website so you always have to get your agent to call and ask.

 

I'm glad I was dreaming! One more question - if you book a fly/cruise package, how do you know the breakdown cost of cabin v flight to be able to work out price drops? Or do you just watch for the package price to drop? I feel like a newbie here (I'm used to booking cruise only)

[suekay]

Be thankful that the UK allow price drops after final payment too which they do not in the USA. It isn't all bad over here.

 

Another thing I didn't know - thank goodness for Cruisecritic:)

[sidari]

Ok ... maybe someone can explain ? currently on the RCI site a Guarantee Balcony is £819, but a D3 is £799 ? how do they work that out!

 

Sue ... the air fare is usually much more expensive when booked through the cruise company, the TA nor RCI will tell you the figures because they say there are various figures involved with regard to commisions etc!which also affect price drops and for those with OBC that goes down as well with price drops.

 

If we had booked our flight with Jet 2 to Rome from Manchester in May as RCI have done it would have cost us around £470 return for us both, as it is, according to the invoice the price is nearer to £900! but what it does not tell you is the cost of transfers from airport to the ship and back.

 

We booked a 5 night cruise out of Copenhagen 18 months ago to Norway with RCI on the Vision of the seas, booked flights with SAS,took a Taxi to the port and the Train on our return, we saved around £350 on the all in price with a TA.

 

If you book an all in price via a TA or direct with RCI and anything goes wrong they have to sort it out, go under your own steam and its left to you to sort it out, so a case of deciding what is best for you as an individual i guess ..... :)

[dutchclogs]

You were dreaming! That is not true. If the cruise fare drops you pay the cost of the new cruise fare. If the air fare drops then tough ;) you still pay the cost of the airfare at the time of booking.

Some prices at the moment are only for new bookings and you cannot have them. There is no way to tell this via the website so you always have to get your agent to call and ask.

 

just discovered this board/thread -- and its been really helpful!

Talking of dreaming, I wonder if someone can give me some insight on my experience last weekend? On Friday 10th March there was a big price drop on both a price tracking site and the RCI website for my category cabin on 11 July Mariner OTS sailing . Unfortunately my agent at RCL (I had booked direct) was out of the office whole day. I eventually managed to speak to someone else who denied all knowledge of a price drop. On my protesting that the website was showing otherwise, he said there was sometimes a 48 hour promotion, new bookings only but I had to speak to my agent and leave a voice mail with her. Next day, (11th March)the price had gone up back up albeit to just under what it had been two days ago. My agent was also puzzled, she was unable to track the bigger price drop and couldn't apply the smaller one although that was definitely not for new bookings only? :confused:

Eventually, I did get the small price drop but the 24 hour pricing remains a mystery...

[ISLANDCRUSO]

RCI did drop the prices despite saying they did not! we checked it out and we were told the same story that it was for New bookings only despite the price drop of £118 per person difference from what we had paid! it seems that no 2 people at RCI give the same information to either your TA or yourself as we also found out!

[Elizanessie]

Whenever you see a price drop on their category of cabin chosen on the RCCL website...take a screen shot ...this way you have the proof of the price drop. ;)

[Albert Ross]

RCI did drop the prices despite saying they did not! we checked it out and we were told the same story that it was for New bookings only despite the price drop of £118 per person difference from what we had paid! it seems that no 2 people at RCI give the same information to either your TA or yourself as we also found out!

 

Whenever you see a price drop on their category of cabin chosen on the RCCL website...take a screen shot ...this way you have the proof of the price drop. ;)

 

Some prices at the moment are only for new bookings and you cannot have them. There is no way to tell this via the website so you always have to get your agent to call and ask.

[suekay]

Ok ... maybe someone can explain ? currently on the RCI site a Guarantee Balcony is £819, but a D3 is £799 ? how do they work that out!

 

Sue ... the air fare is usually much more expensive when booked through the cruise company, the TA nor RCI will tell you the figures because they say there are various figures involved with regard to commisions etc!which also affect price drops and for those with OBC that goes down as well with price drops.

 

If we had booked our flight with Jet 2 to Rome from Manchester in May as RCI have done it would have cost us around £470 return for us both, as it is, according to the invoice the price is nearer to £900! but what it does not tell you is the cost of transfers from airport to the ship and back.

 

We booked a 5 night cruise out of Copenhagen 18 months ago to Norway with RCI on the Vision of the seas, booked flights with SAS,took a Taxi to the port and the Train on our return, we saved around £350 on the all in price with a TA.

 

If you book an all in price via a TA or direct with RCI and anything goes wrong they have to sort it out, go under your own steam and its left to you to sort it out, so a case of deciding what is best for you as an individual i guess ..... :)

 

We usually book cruise only because I HATE being told when I'm flying/which carrier/being herded onto a coach at the airport, but managed to snag free flights+transfers for Navigator out of Rome in September. There was no way we could beat that price, so I'll grin and bear being organised:rolleyes:. The fly/cruise package for Brilliance out of Dubai in December was so competitively priced, I couldn't match it, so ditto. The RCI Brilliance invoice shows a breakdown of the flight/cruise/taxes (to my surprise), but I have a feeling they'd find a way of wriggling out of cruise price drops - hope I'm wrong. However, our Mariner cruise out of Civitavecchia worked out hundreds of pounds pp cheaper by booking independent flights on Jet2, Mercedes limo to precruise hotel in Civitavecchia and shared van back to the airport with others on our roll call. Guess which way I prefer, despite the risk of anything going wrong and being on our own:)

 

I can't explain the guarantee balcony price being more expensive, but have read on cc that "the computer" alters prices up or down depending on current sales patterns, and sometimes it throws up anomalies

[Missus Makkem]

Some prices at the moment are only for new bookings and you cannot have them. There is no way to tell this via the website so you always have to get your agent to call and ask.

 

Hi Albert

will second that

[uktraveller]

Some prices at the moment are only for new bookings and you cannot have them. There is no way to tell this via the website so you always have to get your agent to call and ask.

 

Hi Albert

will second that

 

My Equinox cruise in July has those "new bookings only" prices.:( And the price drop is almost exactly the same as the deposit...so no benefit in rebooking.

[geeb]

Be thankful that the UK allow price drops after final payment too which they do not in the USA. It isn't all bad over here.

 

Another thing I didn't know - thank goodness for Cruisecritic:)[/quote

Hi suekay, I have been reading over some of these post and i always thought when you paid for your cabin you could not make changes as prices went up or down, but as i read the posts i see I have been left behind by you experts.Have you got to of booked from rci before you can ask for an upgrade if your cabin grade drops in price.

[watsons06]

Hi guys. We've book cruise through TA out of Rome in family oceanview for 6 people. (We have 2 booking references as they only allow 4 on each booking). Reading your posts, I'd like to keep an eye re price drops. We would be interested in family suite, but there is £2000 difference in price at the moment. Is there any way to check prices ourselves, or do I have to contact TA? Also they have just added flights from Belfast at £425pp. Booking our own flights would be a bit cheaper, but is it better to book a package? Thanks for any help.

[watsons06]

Hi guys. We've book cruise through TA out of Rome in family oceanview for 6 people. (We have 2 booking references as they only allow 4 on each booking). Reading your posts, I'd like to keep an eye re price drops. We would be interested in family suite, but there is £2000 difference in price at the moment. Is there any way to check prices ourselves, or do I have to contact TA? Also they have just added flights from Belfast at £425pp. Booking our own flights would be a bit cheaper, but is it better to book a package? Thanks for any help.

[suekay]

Be thankful that the UK allow price drops after final payment too which they do not in the USA. It isn't all bad over here.

 

Another thing I didn't know - thank goodness for Cruisecritic:)[/quote

Hi suekay, I have been reading over some of these post and i always thought when you paid for your cabin you could not make changes as prices went up or down, but as i read the posts i see I have been left behind by you experts.Have you got to of booked from rci before you can ask for an upgrade if your cabin grade drops in price.

 

I'm no expert on booking through a UK TA, as most of our cruises are booked through the US (and I only have to email my TA who gets me the drop) I've read on Cruisecritic that price drops/upgrades are possible through the UK but don't know any details. Maybe one of the UK experts can help:)