C and A Starting to Enforce New Onboard Booking Change Rules

[FLACRUISER99]

RCI has this serious problem of too much repeat business and they are trying to fix it, give them a break.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Folk Singer]

I just spoke to the D+ desk and was told if I want to change my reservation for a specific cruise that I booked onboard my OBC was going to revert to the $25 Next Cruise booking amount.

 

The agent said they are just starting to enforce that rule.

 

I know that I have read that others were successful in changing without penalty. I wonder if I got an uniformed person or if this is going to be the policy, which really is the new policy:confused:

 

 

Heard this was happening. Not surprised a little dismayed.:(:confused:

[Folk Singer]

This is exactly what I've said. So what if it's only $200 and any interest on it would be next to nothing. It's the principle. I'm beginning to feel jerked around by RCI - corporately. Once on board it's the crew that makes it worth it, as I know many others feel.

 

I'm still annoyed with the little corporate decisions that affect the cruise experience - no pens, paper in staterooms or flowers in MDR.

 

The booking policies are increasingly unfriendly. It's the old booking/pricing policies that first attracted us to cruising with RCI. :(

 

Gina

 

 

They have cut to the bone and now are cutting the ties that bind.:eek:

[molly361]

Heard this was happening. Not surprised a little dismayed.:(:confused:

 

 

Well I guess I am glad to hear that it is not just me:rolleyes:

 

I think I am going to try to become more of a after final payment person. I would like to be last minute but I need to give dog sitter some kind of advance notice.

[mommabean]

Well I guess I am glad to hear that it is not just me:rolleyes:

 

I think I am going to try to become more of a after final payment person. I would like to be last minute but I need to give dog sitter some kind of advance notice.

 

Our only cat just died on Friday. :( No sitter arrangements need be made anymore. We are totally free. :) (Except for DH's bike riding habit which puts me on my own sometimes.)

 

Gina

[dorisis]

RCs future cruise policys mean We will not be booking anymore on board. There is little to no advantage for us to do so.

[cruisenfever]

The only advantage that I can see is if you book a specific cruise on board, the OBC will be more than if you book from home using a NC. Reduced deposit is always nice unless you book a full suite.

Edited September 24, 2014 by cruisenfever

[Ocean Boy]

Well I guess I am glad to hear that it is not just me:rolleyes:

 

I think I am going to try to become more of a after final payment person. I would like to be last minute but I need to give dog sitter some kind of advance notice.

 

I have said for awhile that I was going to start booking after final payment and this time that is exactly what I am going to do. I have picked my week and I'm watching three cruises. Which ever one has the best deal for the cabin category I want is the cruise I'm taking. And I already have my flights booked. If nothing works out I'll cancel the flights and get the credit. I love Southwest.:)

 

This past year I knew our Allure cruise was over priced. Two weeks before sailing pricing dropped so much that I had a choice to upgrade to any cabin category below a JS. If I had waited to book I would have saved much more money than any OBC that I could have ever obtained by any method. It is fine that RCI is trying to do the best it can for its bank account. And there is nothing wrong with me doing the same for mine. And if everyone else adopted this strategy the cruise lines would find themselves in a very big predicament.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[Ocean Boy]

Our only cat just died on Friday. :( No sitter arrangements need be made anymore. We are totally free. :) (Except for DH's bike riding habit which puts me on my own sometimes.)

 

Gina

 

Sorry about your cat. From when I was a kid our "pets" have always been part of the family. The loss is not easy.

[molly361]

Our only cat just died on Friday. :( No sitter arrangements need be made anymore. We are totally free. :) (Except for DH's bike riding habit which puts me on my own sometimes.)

 

Gina

 

 

Gina sorry to hear about your cat- Ellen

[mommabean]

Sorry about your cat. From when I was a kid our "pets" have always been part of the family. The loss is not easy.

 

Thank you. It is definitely weird to not be a cat owner for the first time in my life. DH says it feels like the last kid just went off to college. Now we have an empty nest for real - totally.

 

But it makes it easier for us to play back hard with the RCI rule changes. Our time is truly our own.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

The only advantage that I can see is if you book a specific cruise on board, the OBC will be more than if you book from home using a NC. Reduced deposit is always nice unless you book a full suite.

 

Exactly, but I rarely know which exact cruise I want to book while I'm on board. Their next cruise certificates locked me into to something. Now, they have just unlocked me as of the first of the coming year.

 

Gina

[temple1]

I have said for awhile that I was going to start booking after final payment and this time that is exactly what I am going to do. I have picked my week and I'm watching three cruises. Which ever one has the best deal for the cabin category I want is the cruise I'm taking. And I already have my flights booked. If nothing works out I'll cancel the flights and get the credit. I love Southwest.:)

 

This past year I knew our Allure cruise was over priced. Two weeks before sailing pricing dropped so much that I had a choice to upgrade to any cabin category below a JS. If I had waited to book I would have saved much more money than any OBC that I could have ever obtained by any method. It is fine that RCI is trying to do the best it can for its bank account. And there is nothing wrong with me doing the same for mine. And if everyone else adopted this strategy the cruise lines would find themselves in a very big predicament.

 

I feel the same way. The price of our November cruise was never met or beaten by any price (sale or not) until the day after final payment was due. It is only about $70 each less and I wouldn't get the cabin I have, but still, on some cruises - especially this time of year, it is worth waiting.

[njmomof2]

I still have kids at home so I'm locked into school vacation times to cruise. However, once I have the school schedule and it's my year to have the kids for the vacation(if it's spring break...we always have our same week together in August), I book the air and wait out the cruise pricing.

 

Last year I saw prices come down pretty far on our annual end of August cruise. This year, I waited until early June and then booked because mom was worried we wouldn't get adjoining/connecting cabins for the boys. FF 3 weeks and the prices drop like a stone, and there are plenty of connecting cabins in our category, categories above and below. Turns out that the price I paid was $250/pp higher than it ended up, and I was pretty upset. I upgraded to junior suites and guess what? They were CONNECTING!

 

Told her that for 2015, I'm getting air and sitting tight until I see the prices go where I want them. With the kids being 17.5 and 13 next year, I can even put them a couple of cabins down from me if needed.

 

That $750 could have been used for another cruise. She now knows not to push me to book.

 

And I will not book on board. There is no reason to do that, especially if I cannot move the cruise if something interferes.

[Clarea]

Exactly, but I rarely know which exact cruise I want to book while I'm on board. Their next cruise certificates locked me into to something. Now, they have just unlocked me as of the first of the coming year.

 

Gina

Me too.

[molly361]

Me too.

 

 

Me three

 

I like planning things and looking forward to knowing I have a cruise next April and October, but RCL isn't making it easy for me to want to do it that way:(

[Toddcan]

RCI has this serious problem of too much repeat business and they are trying to fix it, give them a break.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

There is likely more truth to this than you may think. If they can fill ships with people who get no rewards, they will. They would rather have a ship full of first timers than a ship full of D/D+/Pins.

 

My wild, slightly educated guess on this is that they are putting practices into play which don't encourage D++ cruisers as much - hoping that they still fill the beds- hopefully with more people who have less rewards to cash in on. Let's face it - they could care less if D+ cruiser ever booked another cruise - IF they can sell that cabin to someone else. It's not as though they like you and want to catch up on your grandkids' lives :D

[pcur]

I just got off the phone with the C&A D+ desk. She read the policy to me, and I feel sorry for the Loyalty Ambassadors on board the ships, because they are specifically targetted in the policy to deliver this nasty piece of news to those of us the book specific cruises on board.

 

However, the wording in the policy allows some wiggle room, and the lady on that phone and I were laughing about how much extra work the Resolutions Dept. is going to have! The policy states they "reserve the right" to revert the booking to follow the NC policies when changing an onboard booking to another ship.

 

The initial deposit in these cases is still refundable.

 

My opinion is I will most likely just cancel outright and book a new cruise. The obc we get for a NC is $25 - $100, with the largest amount for over 15 nights. Or, I will book additional cruises during sales that include obc, then make my mind up later and cancel the cruise(s) I don't want.

 

She agreed this policy change was going to be VERY unpopular.

 

On a brighter note, I made a suggestion that she REALLY liked, and she was going to write it up and pass it along. I told her they should allow a certain number of these changes to the upper tiers of C&A. I explained that it's the upper tiers that book the most cruises, and would be hit the hardest by this policy, because we would be more likely to want to change to another ship. I suggest they start with one "pass", and then allow more as you go up.

[Clarea]

I just got off the phone with the C&A D+ desk. She read the policy to me, and I feel sorry for the Loyalty Ambassadors on board the ships, because they are specifically targetted in the policy to deliver this nasty piece of news to those of us the book specific cruises on board.

 

However, the wording in the policy allows some wiggle room, and the lady on that phone and I were laughing about how much extra work the Resolutions Dept. is going to have! The policy states they "reserve the right" to revert the booking to follow the NC policies when changing an onboard booking to another ship.

 

The initial deposit in these cases is still refundable.

 

My opinion is I will most likely just cancel outright and book a new cruise. The obc we get for a NC is $25 - $100, with the largest amount for over 15 nights. Or, I will book additional cruises during sales that include obc, then make my mind up later and cancel the cruise(s) I don't want.

 

She agreed this policy change was going to be VERY unpopular.

 

On a brighter note, I made a suggestion that she REALLY liked, and she was going to write it up and pass it along. I told her they should allow a certain number of these changes to the upper tiers of C&A. I explained that it's the upper tiers that book the most cruises, and would be hit the hardest by this policy, because we would be more likely to want to change to another ship. I suggest they start with one "pass", and then allow more as you go up.

I think that's an excellent suggestion Peggy. How about unlimited changes for Pinnacle.:)

[icsys]

RCI has this serious problem of too much repeat business and they are trying to fix it, give them a break.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

There is likely more truth to this than you may think. If they can fill ships with people who get no rewards, they will. They would rather have a ship full of first timers than a ship full of D/D+/Pins.

 

My wild, slightly educated guess on this is that they are putting practices into play which don't encourage D++ cruisers as much - hoping that they still fill the beds- hopefully with more people who have less rewards to cash in on. Let's face it - they could care less if D+ cruiser ever booked another cruise - IF they can sell that cabin to someone else. It's not as though they like you and want to catch up on your grandkids' lives :D

 

I'm guessing you are right. Filling cabins with first timers maximises the profitability which would fall in line with the "double-double program"

Edited September 24, 2014 by icsys

[pcur]

I think that's an excellent suggestion Peggy. How about unlimited changes for Pinnacle.:)

 

That's what I told her: completely waive the policy for Pineapples. :D

[pcur]

There is likely more truth to this than you may think. If they can fill ships with people who get no rewards, they will. They would rather have a ship full of first timers than a ship full of D/D+/Pins.

 

My wild, slightly educated guess on this is that they are putting practices into play which don't encourage D++ cruisers as much - hoping that they still fill the beds- hopefully with more people who have less rewards to cash in on. Let's face it - they could care less if D+ cruiser ever booked another cruise - IF they can sell that cabin to someone else. It's not as though they like you and want to catch up on your grandkids' lives :D

 

I have a different take on this. Upper tier C&A members actually book more volume. They are not the once a year cruise type of people, and they will be hit the hardest by this. The perks we receive cost the cruise line very little.

 

I told the C&A D+ rep on the phone today that whatever bean-counter thought this up was causing a LOT of trouble!

[ryano]

I'm guessing you are right. Filling cabins with first timers maximises the profitability which would fall in line with the "double-double program"

 

First timers are also more likely to spend more money onboard. Im sure they have researched that to death.

[pcur]

First timers are also more likely to spend more money onboard. Im sure they have researched that to death.

 

Using the premium drink package as an example, I would think the person that cruises 3 - 6 times a year with one would spend a lot more money than a first-time cruiser that does it once in a year. The free drinks for D and above is only for several hours in the evening. Many, many upper tier C&A buy these drink packages.

[molly361]

My opinion is I will most likely just cancel outright and book a new cruise. The obc we get for a NC is $25 - $100, with the largest amount for over 15 nights. Or, I will book additional cruises during sales that include obc, then make my mind up later and cancel the cruise(s) I don't want.

 

.

 

 

This is probably what I will do as well. If I don't wait until after final payment dates.

Edited September 24, 2014 by molly361