RCI Website

[VickieAnn]

We booked our cruise along with 4 other couples through a travel agent. Does this make a difference as to what you can do/locate on the website? We have always used Carnival and their website is so user friendly. You can find about anything you want on it and ask questions like you can on this site. Our cruise is in July and we can't even order packages yet, I am not even sure I can book side trips yet. Is there something I don't know about the site or is this just how it is?:)

[crookedhalo]

You should be able to do just about anything to your reservation short of making a change or a payment:) First things first, you need to log in to your "my cruises" account. You will need your reservation number and your sailing date to do this. Once you get into this area, you should see 'cruise enhancements' or some such:p This is where you can purchase soda packages, excursions, specialty dining (if appropriate to your ship) and other items. Some items don't open up until closer in, but if you are sailing in July most everything should be available to you:D

 

You can even start your on-line check-in process through this area.

 

Have a great trip!:D

[Ashland]

Also make sure your TA links all the bookings..so it's noted you're traveling together..Enjoy !!

[Song and a Dance]

Booked 2 cruises thru a travel agent and do find there are some limits to what you can do on the RCI website. I have found it to be mildy annoying but will get over it and enjoy my cruise none the less:p. I now know I will book directly next time so I have total control but that's just my control freak personality coming out! :rolleyes: It may not bother most people so don't get discouraged.

 

From my experience:

 

• I cannot change ANY of the main travel details such as dining preference, how the beds are arranged, cabins, or make payments.
  
• But once available, you CAN make reservations for shows (if on a ship where you need to), book specialty dining and select My Time Dining times - if your TA put you on My Time Dining. You can also book excursions and purchase drink/wine packages. (You don't mention which ship so some of these things may not be applicable to your cruise.)
  
• Like a previous poster mentioned above, you can also enter all of your online check-in info, request luggage tags (if your ship issues them), print your set sail pass and be ready to go.
  

I am also sailing in July and notice the following:

• My specialty dining has just now opened up within the last few days but still isn't allowing me to book. I was told by RCI on the phone that perhaps it's because I haven't made final payment. (??)
  
• Excursions, spa reservations, my time dining times and drink packages seemed to be able to be booked right away when I booked my cruise.
  
• Show reservations are still not open for me. They are saying they will be open 60 days out (but I've read they actually opened earlier for most people on the boards and to start checking around 90 days)
  

That's just what I've found to be the case with both of my TA bookings - one of which is in July like yours.

[KittyCat1Million]

You need to make final payment before booking some things like shows and specialty dining. We booked ours after making final payment. It was at least 70 days out.

You can't expect them to hold specialty dining reservations or show reservations if you might cancel before final payment is due. Makes sense to me. Just make final payment then you can book it all.

[VickieAnn]

I think it is what you all said, we have not made final payment. I tried to pay in full when we booked and the TA said no we had till the end of April so wait. We are on the Radiance of the Sea leaving July 13th from Seward. I have done what someone suggested as far as ordering packages but it says it is unavailable at this time, which now that you mention it I am sure it is because we owe them money. lol I can tell you never again will I use a TA, I also am a control freak and this is not working for me. lol I guess I was more disappointed in the RCI website because I love going to the boards on Carnival and reading what everyones thoughts and plans are. Thank you everyone.:D

[Isa65]

This might be confusing people. We sail on July 13th as well.

Have NOT made final payment yet, but I was able to book and pay for shore excursions, Chops restaurant reservations and drink packages....

[BecciBoo]

You need to make final payment before booking some things like shows and specialty dining. We booked ours after making final payment. It was at least 70 days out.

You can't expect them to hold specialty dining reservations or show reservations if you might cancel before final payment is due. Makes sense to me. Just make final payment then you can book it all.

 

Has nothing to do with final payment. We have made Chops rez and excursion rez well before final payment on many occasions. These packages are exactly what RCCL says they are...unavailable yet. Keep trying you have plenty of time. They will come available and soon. As far as changes to the cruise booking, you cannot do that, nor make payments. You must use the TA to do these things.

 

BTW, I find Carnival's website to be extremely unfriendly. Harder navigation. Its' just what you are used to.

[Host Faith]

This might be confusing people. We sail on July 13th as well.

Have NOT made final payment yet, but I was able to book and pay for shore excursions, Chops restaurant reservations and drink packages....

 

Yup, I've done this before as well on a couple sailings. :)

[akcruz]

You need to make final payment before booking some things like shows and specialty dining. We booked ours after making final payment. It was at least 70 days out.

You can't expect them to hold specialty dining reservations or show reservations if you might cancel before final payment is due. Makes sense to me. Just make final payment then you can book it all.

 

No you don't need to make final payment before booking shows. I did all my entertainment and my time dining reservations a few weeks ago and final is due today.

 

It all seems to depend on how early the reservations get added by royal. They seem to do them in chunks so if your cruise is one of the later ones they put out you can get to them early. Unfortunately if yours just misses you need to wait for the next round.

[nycruiser80]

I think it is what you all said, we have not made final payment. I tried to pay in full when we booked and the TA said no we had till the end of April so wait. We are on the Radiance of the Sea leaving July 13th from Seward. I have done what someone suggested as far as ordering packages but it says it is unavailable at this time, which now that you mention it I am sure it is because we owe them money. lol I can tell you never again will I use a TA, I also am a control freak and this is not working for me. lol I guess I was more disappointed in the RCI website because I love going to the boards on Carnival and reading what everyones thoughts and plans are. Thank you everyone.:D

 

I used to be a TA and always find this topic interesting. Why would you not use a TA? I understand you want control of your booking but whether you book via a TA or direct you still will have to pay in full to make show reservations. Of course if you booked direct you could have paid for everything up front but honestly you could just tell the travel agent that is what you want to do or you would book elsewhere. I understand you told them but you could push them. Honestly, I would not want to pay everything up front and when I was a TA I would suggest not to as well since my job was to be an advocate for my clients. I wouldn't want a company to have my money. Heaven for bid they go bankrupt (which I HIGHLY doubt RCI woould do) but having been a TA for 10 years I had that happen twice to clients and do you know how long it took them to get their money back? Over two years in one case.

 

I am not trying to flame or cause trouble. I have asked this question before on another thread and no one answered me. But what things do people like to control with their bookings? I understand show reservations, shore excursions, gifts, soda packages. All of this you can do when booking through a travel agent. A good travel agency like the one I worked for also monitred all of our cruise clients cruise prices daily - 6 days a week once a day. We had a spreadsheet where we would keep track of these things. If your travel agent is doing that what else would one want to control? For example I booked my Allure of the Seas cruise in Sept. - I am cruising this July. Since then I checked a few times for price drops and thats it. I "set it and forget it" - well I don't forget I can't wait to go!!! But you know what I mean, I don't have anything to fuss about. When I booked I chose my dining time, cabin number and location, table size and bed configuration at booking, linked my reservations up and thats it! When I do my final payment in May I will do my show, specialty restuarant reservations and my shore excursions and I am done. With the occasional price checking which I only get to do once a month I am not sure what else is there to "control". Life gets to busy to check for price drops and "control" my reservation daily. Back to my two questions: What type of control does th OP or anyone want? And to the OP why wouldn't you use a TA next time?

[akcruz]

nycruiser, not the OP but a couple comments and answers to your questions from my perspective.

 

First of all, as I mentioned above, you do NOT need to make final payment to book your shows, I made all my MTD and show reservations weeks before final was due. As a matter of fact a week after making my reservations I decided I wanted to change one and couldn't as my new choice was already full. Lot of people are obviously making them before final.

 

As for why I want control, with my upcoming cruise we were somewhat torn between a few sailings. I put deposits on 2 different ones and kept watching prices on the cruise, air, etc. I eventually found a great resident rate on a totally different cruise. Put a deposit on that and watched air. A few days later got a great price for my flights so booked them. I then went back and moved my deposits from the other two cruises to the Allure booking with the resident rate and got my balcony discount applied with one call to royal over the weekend when most TAs are closed.

 

I did then go back and switch the confirmed reservation to a TA to get some of the perks, but this was all just 10 days before final. Yes, I know if I booked way ahead I couldn't do it so close but for me it all worked out. Now past final so price drops don't apply and we won't upgrade since we have 2 cabins, one for us and one for the kids.

 

For some, TAs are a blessing and/or a necessity, for others not so much.

[nycruiser80]

nycruiser, not the OP but a couple comments and answers to your questions from my perspective.

 

First of all, as I mentioned above, you do NOT need to make final payment to book your shows, I made all my MTD and show reservations weeks before final was due. As a matter of fact a week after making my reservations I decided I wanted to change one and couldn't as my new choice was already full. Lot of people are obviously making them before final.

 

As for why I want control, with my upcoming cruise we were somewhat torn between a few sailings. I put deposits on 2 different ones and kept watching prices on the cruise, air, etc. I eventually found a great resident rate on a totally different cruise. Put a deposit on that and watched air. A few days later got a great price for my flights so booked them. I then went back and moved my deposits from the other two cruises to the Allure booking with the resident rate and got my balcony discount applied with one call to royal over the weekend when most TAs are closed.

 

I did then go back and switch the confirmed reservation to a TA to get some of the perks, but this was all just 10 days before final. Yes, I know if I booked way ahead I couldn't do it so close but for me it all worked out. Now past final so price drops don't apply and we won't upgrade since we have 2 cabins, one for us and one for the kids.

 

For some, TAs are a blessing and/or a necessity, for others not so much.

 

 

I see. That is what I am seeing. For some TAs work out, for others they are not needed. I used to work in luxury travel at the end of my travel career and what was surprising to me was that the very high end travel market (we are talking one cruise booking or land vacation costing $75K and up) want the "hand holding" of a travel agent. I was just curious as to why "common people" like myself use and don't use an agent. I see so many opinions on this board regarding the usage of TAs but it is hard to bring this up because many people get upset (on both sides). It is interesting but as people become more internet and travel savy I suspect most will book direct. I think in the next 10 years we will see a dramatic shift.

 

Sorry to the OP that I have changed the subject of this thread. Back to her questions/concerns.