Future Cruise Reservation On Board- Got beat by paying too much

[Shippy]

Our flight back from Fort Lauderdale next month dropped & I called Virgin.

They gave us a $40. credit to use anytime during the next year :O)

 

you do have to take the initiative to watch the prices & call.....

[chucknmarilyn]

Sorry .............. I think we were all typing OBC amounts at the same time!!

 

Unfortunately (or maybe that's fortunately) we don't get to use the Shareholder's credit much as we get the balcony discount. Sure wish those could still combine.

[Shippy]

....our TA still honored it on a 'new booking only' special.

I only get 1 certificate at a time. If you have a family & need several rooms each booking, then it would make sense to get more.

 

One of the reasons we usually book after the final payment is due time is that I prefer a higher end room. A lot of people want to cruise the cheapest way possible & feel they don't spend a lot of time in their rooms so the cheaper rooms usually go first.

The JS usually go on sale. Awhile back I actually picked up a GS for $900. a few weeks before the cruise.

We did a celebrity cruise a few months ago where we got an incredible family balcony room on the back with a corner balcony.

There were just the 2 of us. Celebrity told me that those rooms are not released to the general public until 30 days before sailing if no families have requested them.

[allentownahoy]

Sometimes booking on board does make sense. I booked a Jan 2012 Enchantment cruise while on board last January. I got a very good price and since then the prices have gone steadily higher. Most categories are now completely sold out. My guess is prices will not be dropping after final payment, and even if they do, they have a long way to drop before matching the price I paid.

[iuki]

Well said.

 

After reading most of the posts here, you have to understand a basic business model in action here. RCI is a business. They price their product. People purchase/reserve their cabins. Then, after final payment, some of the reservations go unpaid or cancelled, and now they are left with a certain number of cabins that either must get filled or will go unused and therefore generate NO income. So with the short timeframe now available, they discount the price in order to move the product. That doesn't mean you go back and re-price everyone who previously purchased your product! That makes NO business sense!

 

So if you buy a swimsuit for your summer cruise at the beginning of the summer (when the selection is at its peak), do you then go back to the store in the fall when they have a handfull left and they are marked down in price in order to move them and ask for a refund of the difference from your sale price? No, but that is what you are asking RCI to do for you.

 

You buy early, get the best selection, and the lowest regular price. We are all more then welcome to wait until the last minute, hope some cabins went unsold, hope again that they have one in the category and/or room configuration you need, and then hope that there are enough of them that the cruise line is discounting them to fill as many as possible.

 

I try to buy early because I need to have a specific selection of cabins. I have a larger family, limited vacation windows, and have to plan way, way in advance. I like the fact that I can use a future cruise cert and get a lower deposit and OBC. I think that's a heck of a nice gesture and I'm happy to take advantage of it.

 

I just don't get the whole "the-price-dropped-after-I-bought-my-cruise-and-now-they-owe-me" mentality.

 

Don't worry about what the cruisers across the hall paid. It's a cruise! Enjoy! (I'm probably gonna get flamed, huh...?)

 

 

No flame from me. I couldn't have said it better. Booking a cruise is contingent upon the person's situation. For example, when I was working, I had to get approval to take time off from work. I lived in Washington State and needed to make flight arrangements. Therefore, I could not engage in last-minute vacations. As a retiree now living in Florida, I could. However, since I prefer a guaranteed room assignment, I book way in advance. If getting the lowest possible price is important to someone, and the person is willing to gamble on the price going down, then by all means, take your chances. It's always a matter of choice - the person needs to decide on his/her personal situation and personality.

[cruise pup]

 

You buy early, get the best selection, and the lowest regular price.

 

Not true. I went to speak to a consultant. I had done my homework and researched the best price before the cruise. I just wanted to get the benefit of the onboard booking. The consultant gave me a much higher rate. It wasn't until after I insisted there was a lower rate and she searched again that she did find that price. I lost all faith in this system. All I can say is before you speak to a consultant do some research before the cruise.

[Reijo]

We always get a FCC while on board and then make our reservations at a later date. We pick up a form from the Loyalty Ambassador.....I believe they have them in a slot at the front of that area. We complete it, give our CC number and drop the form back at that are. I believe they have a drop box for it. We usually get a form slipped under our door the next morning. At first I thought you had to make an appointment with the Loyalty Ambassador and was firmly told "NO" their expertise wasn't required for an FCC.

 

We prefer a particular area of the ship BUT if you really don't have a preference and can be a bit flexible WAIT!!!! At the 90 day mark prior to sailing the prices start dropping. That said, this year the price of our cruise went up over $100 from the price we booked back in February/March. It hasn't dropped yet.

 

The only plus I see from a FCC is the on board credit and you do have to put less down. You pay the same in the end though whether you put down $100, $200 or more.