Feeling a bit burned

[cruisin_horn]

We have a 7 day group cruise booked for this summer and all the while since we booked we had been watching for price drops. Prices pretty much held steady the entire time and we made our final payments when required. Not even two weeks after our final payment date, prices have dropped around $200 per person for many of our rooms. Most in our group are not interested in upgrading for a variety of reasons (proximity to others in the group or connecting rooms etc.) and I have been told there is nothing that they can do for us. If that's how it is, then so be it, and we will still enjoy our cruise but it leaves a pretty sour taste to lock us in like that for booking early and then offer the same categories for substantially less. I haven't cruised Royal for a while and was wondering if this is a typical pricing strategy for their cruises. With other lines that we have cruised we haven't had this happen and if the price did drop we were compensated in some way. Any suggestions or has anyone had success receiving some sort of compensation shortly after the final payment date?

[preschool teacher]

From what I know....you don't get price adjustments after final payment....it's like this for all cruise lines...sometimes you can upgrade for very little money....but you get whatever is left....May not be in ag god location....they Lowe the price so they fill up the ship....can get some deals last minute....but again you get what is left....

[daljcl]

The last time i sailed carnival, they gave obc after final payment when price dropped, that was 2 years ago.

 

HTH

 

Jackie

[temple1]

You mention a group of cabins - did you reserve with a travel agent? Final payment with a TA is a lot different from final with the cruise line.

[Ken076]

This is pretty standard for most of the competing cruiselines. As you note, they DO generally offer to upgrade you if sa higher category drops to waht you paid. Carnival offers an EARLY SAVER booking that gives price breaks pretty much up to saling, but in return your cancellation options are severely limited. ken

[petel]

We have a 7 day group cruise booked for this summer and all the while since we booked we had been watching for price drops. Prices pretty much held steady the entire time and we made our final payments when required. Not even two weeks after our final payment date, prices have dropped around $200 per person for many of our rooms. Most in our group are not interested in upgrading for a variety of reasons (proximity to others in the group or connecting rooms etc.) and I have been told there is nothing that they can do for us. If that's how it is, then so be it, and we will still enjoy our cruise but it leaves a pretty sour taste to lock us in like that for booking early and then offer the same categories for substantially less. I haven't cruised Royal for a while and was wondering if this is a typical pricing strategy for their cruises. With other lines that we have cruised we haven't had this happen and if the price did drop we were compensated in some way. Any suggestions or has anyone had success receiving some sort of compensation shortly after the final payment date?

 

Please don't feel burned............that's just the way it is. :rolleyes: It wasn't always that way. There was a time when price drops might be available for early bookers even after final payment but not any more. If you want cabin number and location selection you must book early. Enjoy :)

[39august]

Yes, that's how it is. But do check when your actual final payment to RCI is due. As another mentioned, if booked with a TA, their final payment date is uaually quite a bit earlier than RCi's actual final due date. So if you paid before the actual due date, you still may qualify for the price reductions.

[Gayle V]

Hello Cruisin_horn, We've cruised a few other lines, and in my experience, that is pretty standard procedure for all the lines. Prices always drop after final payment. Nice time to get a deal, if you don't mind taking whatever is left of the cabins locations, and which ever ship isn't sold out. There's just no predicting that ahead of time.

 

Yes Carnival does have certain types of bookings that come with non-refundable deposits and other restrictions, but give you OBC for price drops. (That's a hassle and gamble we won't make, we book the regular rates)

[cruisin_horn]

You mention a group of cabins - did you reserve with a travel agent? Final payment with a TA is a lot different from final with the cruise line.

 

We booked with the cruise line directly.

[happymoes]

I booked thru a TA company and asked for an upgrade. He said he couldn't without splitting our 3 cabins up and rebooking. That would have been fine except we have 2 cabins next to us with teens...SO bummer for us....But I know we will have an amazing time. I get "jealous" about all the upgrade fairy posts. Next time I think I'll book thru RC!:o

[cruisin_horn]

This is pretty standard for most of the competing cruiselines. As you note, they DO generally offer to upgrade you if sa higher category drops to waht you paid. Carnival offers an EARLY SAVER booking that gives price breaks pretty much up to saling, but in return your cancellation options are severely limited. ken

 

We have done this in the past with Carnival and it has worked great for us. Wanted to try Royal Caribbean again this time.

[cruisin_horn]

Please don't feel burned............that's just the way it is. :rolleyes: It wasn't always that way. There was a time when price drops might be available for early bookers even after final payment but not any more. If you want cabin number and location selection you must book early. Enjoy :)

 

I think the frustrating part is more about the timing of the price drop. If they are within a few weeks and needing to fill cabins, I get it, but to drop that much almost immediately after final payment was due is what leaves us feeling burned.

[LindaO]

I am sorry that you feel 'burned'... Not sure how large of a group you are, but, you wanted specific cabins and you booked early as a group to get those cabins. So, you may have to pay to insure your entire group could sail together. You, of course, could have waited to book closer to sailing in hope to get a good last minute deal. But you would have risked the prices going up or cabins not being available. Also... as a group did you book through the group department and get any group perks? (That of course, depends on how large a group.)

 

Sometimes you have to pay to insure certain aspects of a vacation... you and your group accepted that when you booked. I hope you will be able to get over the 'burned' feeling... and enjoy your group cruise!!

[Paulette3028]

I booked thru a TA company and asked for an upgrade. He said he couldn't without splitting our 3 cabins up and rebooking. That would have been fine except we have 2 cabins next to us with teens...SO bummer for us....But I know we will have an amazing time. I get "jealous" about all the upgrade fairy posts. Next time I think I'll book thru RC!:o

 

There aren't as many upgrade fairy happenings to really be 'jealous' of as you think....they happen much less often than years ago.

 

Why do you think the experience will be any different/better booking directly through RCI?

[cruisin_horn]

I am sorry that you feel 'burned'... Not sure how large of a group you are, but, you wanted specific cabins and you booked early as a group to get those cabins. So, you may have to pay to insure your entire group could sail together. You, of course, could have waited to book closer to sailing in hope to get a good last minute deal. But you would have risked the prices going up or cabins not being available. Also... as a group did you book through the group department and get any group perks? (That of course, depends on how large a group.)

 

Sometimes you have to pay to insure certain aspects of a vacation... you and your group accepted that when you booked. I hope you will be able to get over the 'burned' feeling... and enjoy your group cruise!!

 

I understand what you are saying. We will certainly have a great time but I probably won't try to organize a group cruise with Royal again. I would most likely choose a line where we have had better results with this type of thing. If it is just my family cruising, I will just wait in the future if booking with Royal.

[tidygirl]

It is frustrating when they wait till final payment then the price drops. We cruised April 19 on the Jewell price dropped. Fortunate for me it was DH and me and we got upgraded from an inside to balcony, but when we travel with the family that doesn't work for us as I book the cabins next to each other and don't want to split! It does seem like a punishment sometime for booking early.

[dacsmom]

It happens with all cruise lines, right after final payment they have more cabins to fill because some people cancel right at the end before the penalty kicks. I make it a point never to look at the price after final payment, too frustrating. If you wait until after final payment to book you may be locked out of a cabin category you want.

[Paulette3028]

It is frustrating when they wait till final payment then the price drops. We cruised April 19 on the Jewell price dropped. Fortunate for me it was DH and me and we got upgraded from an inside to balcony, but when we travel with the family that doesn't work for us as I book the cabins next to each other and don't want to split! It does seem like a punishment sometime for booking early.

 

Its business. They have a final payment date, and then assess what they need to do, to fill the ship and leave port with all cabins occupied. If there were cabins available and you received an upgrade without additional cost, you would be thrilled. That doesn't happen as often as in the past, the cruise line just looks to book the available cabins at a lower price than previously advertised.

 

A cruisers logic would be: upgrade as many to the better/more expensive cabins, then put a last minute sale on the remaining, less expensive cabins.....but that isn't the logic the financial/sales/marketing departments use. Nor would I if, I was in the decision making seat.

[Barnum42]

Don't take "no" for an answer. It took me half an hour of calm bur forceful arguing to get a refund under similar circumstances. It boiled down to them either losing me as a repeat customer and fleecing me on this trip or giving a refund - which was in the same area as your price change - and my remaining a potential repeat customer.

[Paulette3028]

I understand what you are saying. We will certainly have a great time but I probably won't try to organize a group cruise with Royal again. I would most likely choose a line where we have had better results with this type of thing. If it is just my family cruising, I will just wait in the future if booking with Royal.

 

As I re-read this thread you mention I believe you booked directly through Royal for this group of cabins. Perhaps, you would have been better served going through a travel agent. That travel agent has some flexibility (via their commission -- for one thing) and perhaps other ways to compensate a group such as yours.

 

I don't believe I saw how many cabins are in your group, but if it was 10 or more, TAs have some creative ways to save everyone money.

[njmomof2]

As others have posted, just about every line has this policy now for several years. Carnival is different with the Early Saver option, but there are restrictions on that as well, and sometimes cruisers are not willing to take the risk of paying when they cancel, having the balance of the deposit held for a future cruise, not being able to downgrade, etc. It works for some, not for others.

 

When you have several cabins sailing, and want to be together, or have kids and nead to be near each other, then booking earlier and making sure you have those cabin options is what you might end up paying higher than those last minute, after final payment costs end up being.

 

I booked air for our end of summer cruise back in October. Because for us that's often the hardest part of the trip, we figured we'd wait until after final to book the cruise. I need two rooms, preferably connected or adjoining. I'm hoping I'll find that. I may not, and may end up a few cabins away. But that's the risk I take over paying what could be $200/pp more right now.

 

Everyone has a risk tolerance. This is a business decision on the part of the cruise lines. It's not just Royal. If, when you sail as your family only, then maybe ES on Carnival is better for you. But for us, Carnival does not have the amenities and activities we want, so we work within the "after final no price drops" system of Royal.

[Cindy]

As others have posted, just about every line has this policy now for several years. Carnival is different with the Early Saver option, but there are restrictions on that as well, and sometimes cruisers are not willing to take the risk of paying when they cancel, having the balance of the deposit held for a future cruise, not being able to downgrade, etc. It works for some, not for others.

 

When you have several cabins sailing, and want to be together, or have kids and nead to be near each other, then booking earlier and making sure you have those cabin options is what you might end up paying higher than those last minute, after final payment costs end up being.

 

I booked air for our end of summer cruise back in October. Because for us that's often the hardest part of the trip, we figured we'd wait until after final to book the cruise. I need two rooms, preferably connected or adjoining. I'm hoping I'll find that. I may not, and may end up a few cabins away. But that's the risk I take over paying what could be $200/pp more right now.

 

Everyone has a risk tolerance. This is a business decision on the part of the cruise lines. It's not just Royal. If, when you sail as your family only, then maybe ES on Carnival is better for you. But for us, Carnival does not have the amenities and activities we want, so we work within the "after final no price drops" system of Royal.

 

 

 

Great post! If you like Carnival cruises and are VERY sure of what you want, Early Saver can be a bargain. If anything at all might change, then you would be looking at penalties. It's important to note that fare isn't available on all sailings or even for all cabin types on a particular date.

 

Like you, we would rather work with the final payment restrictions on RCI and other lines than choose Carnival with their current product.

[workingonlytocruise]

Don't take "no" for an answer. It took me half an hour of calm bur forceful arguing to get a refund under similar circumstances. It boiled down to them either losing me as a repeat customer and fleecing me on this trip or giving a refund - which was in the same area as your price change - and my remaining a potential repeat customer.

 

Exactly when was this? Are you in the U.S. or Canada? If so, certainly not within the last 2 years at least.

[cruisin_horn]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. We are still very much looking forward to the cruise and I'm sure we will have a great time. I guess it's just a lesson learned in the process.

[cruzsnooze]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. We are still very much looking forward to the cruise and I'm sure we will have a great time. I guess it's just a lesson learned in the process.

Be glad you booked directly because that way you can call RCL and they will speak to you. If you had decided to take an upgrade you could have done so and looked at what was being offered while you were on the phone. I always prefer to keep control of my reservation.