Price drop and I can't get it

[rogueangel]

I booked our cruise in August 2011 for August 2012 through a TA and paid £300 deposit. I have been checking the prices on the RC website periodically and this weekend I noticed the prices had come down quite a lot, by over £500 for the 2 of us. I contacted my TA who came back to me and said that RC are saying those prices are for new bookings only and I can't get a price drop. I asked her to see if there was anything they could do, offer more OBC (they've offered a friend who's booking this week $300 OBC, I only got $100 when I booked), or anything else but they've come back and said RC wont do anything on my deal at all. My only option would be to cancel my booking and rebook and lose my deposit and probably lose my coveted hump cabin, but I will have saved just over £200.

 

At this moment I dont think it's worth it for the £200, but I'm slightly annoyed that prices have come down so much, there are so many deals on, but those of us that booked well in advance are being penalised. Does anyone have any advice? I did try calling RC direct but they told me they were unable to discuss any prices at all as I'd booked through a TA. This will only be my second cruise so I'm still fairly inexperienced when it comes to all this and it seems incredibly complicated.

[maxx]

I noticed a price drop on our cruise, rang RCI ( we booked directly with them) was able to cancel the orignal booking & rebook the same cabin. We had only paid the deposit. We saved $500. Keep trying. Good luck.

[ksuds]

If it's after final payment there would be no money back. However, when we've run into this situation we were able to bump up to a better room catagory. We never use a travel agent for this same reason.

[rogueangel]

I've only paid the deposit so far. The current saving would be £538, so if I cancelled I'd lose my £300 deposit and would save £238, but I'm not sure it's worth it for that amount with the chance of losing my hump cabin. I've looked and there aren't any others in that class still available.

[Marley-Bop]

Hi

 

First of all I would say make sure you take a screen shot of the price drop so you can prove the new price before it changes again.

 

Ring your TA and insist that they contact RCCL on your behalf as this is a significant price drop and as your TA they need to take this up on your behalf.

 

If you get no joy with that, ask to speak to a supervisor and say that you have spoken to RCCL who confirm that they can do something but would need to be contacted by the TA!

 

Offer to be present and take part in a conference call when they contact RCCL so you can take an active part in the conversation.

 

I feel sure that they have heard of RCCL price drop policies before and the term "new bookings only" can be overriden with persistance from you and your TA.

 

You may not actually get a refund but I feel sure that you would get an upgraded cabin or OBC but some UK cruisers have reported that they have actually had the cruise price reduced to the lower price.

 

There is a thread on CC somewhere about transferring your booking back to RCCL if you are not happy with your TA - It might be worth ringing RCCL and asking how you go about this so you are armed with this prior to speaking to your TA.

 

I really would not let this go, it is a huge drop so stay strong and stand your ground!

 

Good luck and come back and let us know how you get on :)

 

Angie

[rogueangel]

Thanks Angie. I did take a screenshot of the price which I emailed to my TA on the weekend when I emailed her to ask for the price drop originally. I don't really want to transfer my booking to RC if I can help it as the TA is one my whole family use and I wouldn't really want any bad feeling.

 

My TA did say she'd contacted RC for me, this is what she said "I have been in touch with Royal Caribbean today and the prices they have on their web site is to attract new customers,and do not apply for passengers already booked.

The only way is to canx your booking loose your deposit and rebook at the reduced price."

 

I then asked her to ask RC if they'd do anything on the price or up my OBC, her response was "I have already asked the question about an on board credit,and they said no.

I can see your point but they will not budge."

 

When I called RC they said they couldn't discuss prices as I'd booked through a TA but that many of the prices on the website were valid for new bookings only. The person I spoke to wouldn't discuss any details at all, she wouldn't even confirm that the prices on that particular cruise were in fact for new bookings or not, she said she wasn't allowed to.

[ARCruisinNana]

If you book with a TA you have to go through them. RCCL can't discuss your reservation with you.

[rogueangel]

It seems odd that they can't even talk in a theoretical way, at least tell me if the prices on that cruise were for new bookings only, that's not discussing my actual reservation details.

[Marley-Bop]

Thanks Angie. I did take a screenshot of the price which I emailed to my TA on the weekend when I emailed her to ask for the price drop originally. I don't really want to transfer my booking to RC if I can help it as the TA is one my whole family use and I wouldn't really want any bad feeling.

 

My TA did say she'd contacted RC for me, this is what she said "I have been in touch with Royal Caribbean today and the prices they have on their web site is to attract new customers,and do not apply for passengers already booked.

The only way is to canx your booking loose your deposit and rebook at the reduced price."

 

I then asked her to ask RC if they'd do anything on the price or up my OBC, her response was "I have already asked the question about an on board credit,and they said no.

I can see your point but they will not budge."

 

When I called RC they said they couldn't discuss prices as I'd booked through a TA but that many of the prices on the website were valid for new bookings only. The person I spoke to wouldn't discuss any details at all, she wouldn't even confirm that the prices on that particular cruise were in fact for new bookings or not, she said she wasn't allowed to.

 

Well if she is a good TA who deals with all of your family bookings, she will ring again and ask to speak to another RCCL advisor. She has only got to say that you are not at all happy and that it would be ridiculous to have to cancel the cruise to get the price drop. Sometimes its just a case of getting the right person at the end of the phone.

 

A friend of mine just had the same dilemma - She lost her £300 deposit but saved an additional £400 on the price drop and managed to secure the same cabin by putting a courtesy hold on it immediatley.

 

She said in hindsight, she wished she had transferred the £300 to another cruise and rebooked from scratch so she didnt lose anything also gaining another cruise to look forward to!

 

If you really feel that you arent getting anywhere and are a gold member of the crown and anchor. Try ringing them and asking for some help with this. It seems so unfair that you are being so loyal to your TA but are getting a bum deal out of all of this :(

 

Angie X

[rogueangel]

Thanks again Angie. Hmm thinking about it, while my family might be loyal to her, I'm not sure she works hard enough to get the best deals (although the original price offered was the best I could find at the time). I will give her a call tomorrow and press her to try again. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to book another cruise, this might have to be the last one for a while.

[Marley-Bop]

Thanks again Angie. Hmm thinking about it, while my family might be loyal to her, I'm not sure she works hard enough to get the best deals (although the original price offered was the best I could find at the time). I will give her a call tomorrow and press her to try again. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to book another cruise, this might have to be the last one for a while.

 

Well good luck and hope you get a good outcome on this :)

[champagnebarfly]

We had a similar problem after we booked our last cruise. We booked in 2010 for our holiday in September 2011 and noticed in April that the price had dropped by almost £1000.I phoned the TA and was told there was nothing that could be done, I wasn't happy with the answer so after thinking about it I rang Rccl and told them the story. I was told that as we had booked with a TA I had to get back to them but they would price match ,I said I thought they would say no but was told it was something they did. The TA was very surprised but rang Rccl while I hung on then came back and said yes they would knock the money off the final balance.Unless Rccl have changed their policy this year perhaps you should try again. Good luck.

[Mmketeer]

If it's after final payment there would be no money back. However, when we've run into this situation we were able to bump up to a better room catagory. We never use a travel agent for this same reason.

 

Please note that this is RCCL's policy and has nothing to do with using a Travel agent. If you called up RCCL's reservation agent's they would have told you the same thing. If you find a lower rate and it is before your final payment date though they should re-price the reservation. If the prices drop after your final date (when cancellation penalties apply) they will NOT honor the lower rate or issue any kind of refund. However, they should look to see if they can upgrade you to a category of equal value.

Ask your travel agent if they spoke with the Resolutions Department as they might be able to assist, but usually cruiselines like to make money and hate given it away.

 

PS

The best reason to book inadvance is to avoid the price going up. Personally for my upcoming cruise the rate is now double what I paid a year ago.

[KathyPet]

Why am I getting different information about price decreases on different threads? The OP said his cruise is this coming August. I am quite sure that his final payment date has not passed since he is 6 months out from his sailing date. I have read that if the price goes down before your final payment has been made that RC will adjust your price to the new lower rate. If final payment has been made already they will not adjust the price but you can possible upgrade to a larger cabin. Now I am hearing that the OP was not able to gt a price adjustment when his T/A contacted RCCL. WHy different answers about this policy????

[ryansmum]

Why am I getting different information about price decreases on different threads? The OP said his cruise is this coming August. I am quite sure that his final payment date has not passed since he is 6 months out from his sailing date. I have read that if the price goes down before your final payment has been made that RC will adjust your price to the new lower rate. If final payment has been made already they will not adjust the price but you can possible upgrade to a larger cabin. Now I am hearing that the OP was not able to gt a price adjustment when his T/A contacted RCCL. WHy different answers about this policy????

 

The OP is in UK so different rules apply. Many TA's in UK don't give price drops unfortunately :( Even if we book direct with RCI we're often getting advised 'new bookings only' policy if the prices drop.

[ctcruiser1721]

 

At this moment I dont think it's worth it for the £200, but I'm slightly annoyed that prices have come down so much, there are so many deals on, but those of us that booked well in advance are being penalised. Does anyone have any advice? I did try calling RC direct but they told me they were unable to discuss any prices at all as I'd booked through a TA. This will only be my second cruise so I'm still fairly inexperienced when it comes to all this and it seems incredibly complicated.

 

I suggest that you have your TA contact the Resolution Dept. with you on a conference call. Perhaps they can at least adjust the price or offer OBC for the 200 Pounds (that IS a lot of money) and allow you to keep the same cabin. Not ideal but better than nothing and I think you'd have a really good case for that. You are more likely to have success when you can really justify your reasoning and this seems reasonable to me. Even if you have a good TA, they will most likely not advocate for you as well as you might for yourself.

 

The key is getting someone from the Resolutions Office on the line. They are the ones allowed to make exceptions.

 

Best of luck to you!

[peteukmcr]

 

She said in hindsight, she wished she had transferred the £300 to another cruise and rebooked from scratch so she didnt lose anything also gaining another cruise to look forward to!

 

Angie X

If booked in the UK and you wish to transfer to another sailing there is a change fee of £75 per person, so you cannot transfer the whole of the £300 deposit for 2 people to another cruise, been there, done that unfortunately.

 

It is in the T&Cs for UK bookings.

[rogueangel]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I emailed my TA last night while it was all still fresh in my mind, offered to do a conference call or whatever it would take. She emailed back today to say she's contacted RC again and they still wont budge at all. She's advised me to try emailing them direct (and passed on an email address) so that's what I've done.

 

I did mention in my email last night that I would consider moving my booking to RC direct and her response to that was "if you book direct with any shipping company you don't get the travel agents discount and on this occasion you have had 10%". But, if even WITH the discount I'm still paying £500 more than I should then that 10% is pretty worthless isnt it? This is so frustrating and clearly she's not going to go out of her way to help me. I hope that I get something more positive back from RC.

[rogueangel]

I'm about ready to cry, just got this email back from RC:

 

Thank you for your email. I can confirm that your agent has been in

contact with us on two occasions and we have advised her that your

particular booking is not applicable to the price drop due to the price

code not being convertible to the new pricing, as the new pricing is for

'New Bookings Only'.

 

We do run different campaigns and offers throughout the year and prices are

subject to change. I would suggest that you do try again nearer to your

sailing date to see whether we can price drop then.

 

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Right now I'm actually considering just cancelling and not bothering to rebook, we can find a cheaper land-based holiday :( This has really peed me off, this is no way to treat customers.

[scotland100]

Hi

We booked LOS for 5 night italian riviera 18/5/12 back in october 2011 through a TA. They packaged it up to include 2 no frills carrier flights and a 2 night stay in one of the cheaper 4 star hotels in Barcelona. It seemed a good deal at the time. In january i emailed RC direct as i noticed that there had been price drops on two occasions, and asked if we would receive any obc to compensate for this drop as i believe early bookers should receive best prices. To date, i haven't received a reply. I phoned RC direct but they would not discuss my booking or prices because i had booked through a TA, and would not even confirm if they had received my email! I emailed my TA on a number of occasions, well before the final payment date, but was told that i wasn't entitled to a price drop or any other offer. My TA would not confirm what price they had paid for my cabin, only that it was a whole package they had put together, and it was one final price. :(

[rogueangel]

does anyone have the UK number for the RC Resolutions Department? I can't find it, or do I just call the main number and ask to be put through?

[JoyB]

if the finally payment is due in august. why would you lose 250.00

it seems you would not lose anything you are more then 150 days out

[rogueangel]

The cruise is in August, final payment is in May, and I'd lose the £150 per person deposit = £300.

[JoyB]

The cruise is in August, final payment is in May, and I'd lose the £150 per person deposit = £300.

 

here is the policy that I just look up

 

 

6 Nights or longer75+No charges74-57Deposit amount56-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees

Effective August 1, 2010, new reservations will fall under the following cancellation schedule:

 

Nights or longer75+No charges74-57Deposit amount56-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees

Cruise Length

Days to Departure

Charges Per Person

1 - 5 Nights60+No charges59-43Deposit amount42-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees6 Nights or longer75+No charges74-57Deposit amount56-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees6+ nights

75 days or more

74 to 57 days

56 to 29 days

28 to 15 days

14 or less days

[peteukmcr]

here is the policy that I just look up

 

 

6 Nights or longer75+No charges74-57Deposit amount56-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees

Effective August 1, 2010, new reservations will fall under the following cancellation schedule:

 

Nights or longer75+No charges74-57Deposit amount56-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees

Cruise Length

Days to Departure

Charges Per Person

1 - 5 Nights60+No charges59-43Deposit amount42-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees6 Nights or longer75+No charges74-57Deposit amount56-2950% of total price (taxes & fees excluded)*28-1575% of total (taxes & fees excluded)*14 or lessNo refund except for taxes and fees6+ nights

75 days or more

74 to 57 days

56 to 29 days

28 to 15 days

14 or less days

I presume these are the T&C's in the US. They are different in the UK.

1.10 If I have to cancel my cruise holiday, will I receive a refund?

 

If you or anybody travelling with you wishes to cancel either your/their holiday, you must contact us (if booking direct) or your

travel agent and give notice in writing using registered mail or e-mail to ensure safe receipt of the cancellation letter. The holiday

will only be cancelled on the date we receive the written notice of cancellation. If you cancel you will have

to pay the cancellation charges set out below:

5 days or less 100%

6 to 14 days 90%

15 - 28 days 75%

29 - 56 days 50%

57 days or more Deposit only

Please be advised that the minimum cancellation charge will always be the loss of deposit.

 

1.11 Can I make changes to my booking after it has been confirmed?

 

Should you wish to make any changes to your confirmed holiday, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. Whilst we will

endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet any such requests. For guests wishing to make a significant

amendment to their booking outside of 56 days from departure, such as changing the ship, sail date or brand, please note that a

booking transfer fee is applicable. The transfer fee is £75 per guest which is limited to the first two guests on a booking, therefore

any 3rd/4th guests will not be charged. Please note: the transfer fee is a non-refundable amount, which will be included in any

cancellation charges as in point 1.10 above.

 

Please note: that your booking will be re-priced in-line with the up-to-date business and price rules and a new confirmation invoice will be issued.

 

For all changes that we consider to be minor changes (such as a change of stateroom or name changes on an existing booking by way of example only) outside of 56 days from departure, an amendment fee of £35 per guest per booking will be payable together with any costs incurred by ourselves and any costs or

charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. Please note: the amendment fee is a non-refundable amount, which will be included in any cancellation charges as in point 1.10 above.

 

If you request a change within 56 days of departure, this may be treated as a cancellation of your original booking and cancellation charges as set out in these terms and conditions will be payable (see clause 1.10).