Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Does anyone else dislike the non-refundable deposit option?

Cancruizer

By Cancruizer,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted (edited)
“Sorry that seat is taken” If he/she escalated further I’ll tell him/her to go get a steward/ess if they have a problem with me saving a seat for my wife who checked in before them but was detained by security. Pretty sure airline personnel would side with me, if they had my wife had not shown up before them.

 

 

The passengers that insisted he could not save a seat were the ones without manners. Though not being able to sit together for a 45 minute flight for some reason did not put us in divorce court. :halo: But I am still not a fan of airlines that do not offer assigned seats. :(

Edited by island lady
Link to comment
Share on other sites
hapster85

hapster85

Posted
Posted
It does. 100.00 per person NRD...500.00 per for refundable on 7 night cruises booked on board with NC.
Well yeah, if you happen to be onboard, otherwise it's the full $500 per person. Hardly the same as reducing non-refundable deposits for booking in general.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mikew0805

Mikew0805

Posted
Posted
Nobody WANTS to lose $100.

 

But if it really that huge a deal financially, then yes, maybe cruising is not the best venue for you.

 

But inside 90 days, you lose more than that if you have to cancel and do not have insurance.

 

Well I guess since no one on here stated that losing $100 would financially ruin them, then we must be talking about not wanting to lose $100... which has been clear. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zach1213

Zach1213

Posted
Posted
The passengers that insisted he could not save a seat were the ones without manners. Though not being able to sit together for a 45 minute flight for some reason did not put us in divorce court. :halo: But I am still not a fan of airlines that do not offer assigned seats. :(

 

The best way to show Southwest (or any airline) that you don't like their policy is, unfortunately, to not support them. There are companies I don't support anymore because of policies or past actions. Heck, I actually stayed away from Southwest for three years (not an easy task when you travel for a living!) because I had two bad experiences that they refused to resolve or acknowledge. I was eventually drawn back to them and have not had the same experiences since, but I'm still weary and don't automatically jump to Southwest like I used to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Havingfun2010

Havingfun2010

Posted
Posted
I think there are some interesting psychological factors at play here that I'm sure RCI has considered but customer behavior is a very interesting thing. It's pretty clearly established for example, I guess, that the psychological difference between $9.99 and $10.00 is worth way more than the value of the penny to the merchant.

 

So, take a cruiser that simply cannot risk booking nonrefundable -- for whatever reason, work, life, etc. You price the cruise at $1700 for nonrefundable and $1950 for refundable. The cruiser looks at that and thinks, "I'm being charged a $250 penalty for having an inflexible job situation" (or whatever). But, really, the underlying question is, would this same cruiser have minded paying $1950 for the very same cabin on the very same cruise if there were no such thing as nonrefundable fares? That is, if $1950 had simply been lowest price offered to the public, would it change behavior? I bet in some cases it would -- just like when you see an item is "80 percent off" it makes the price of $200 look better than if there were no "sale".

 

It's to me a fascinating question. In the end, though, I think it's kind of a false question. The truth is that if there were no nonrefundable fares, the price of the cruise would actually probably be less than $1950. They are charging a premium for the flexibility. I'm sure they have some data and it works out for them, but it is a pretty interesting marketing question.

 

Very interesting thoughts. Isn't this the same as buying insurance in case you can't go on the trip? I buy an annual medical policy which isn't much money for two people, but so many people buy cancel for any reason and all the other little things. They are buying just in case. Well, the cruise line, is selling a cabin to those that are committed to going at a lower price. Those that are not committed, they charge a higher price. So you are paying more money, just like if you bought insurance, to insure you can cancel if you change your mind. Maybe RCCL is getting into the insurance scam business also. It certainly is a way of getting more money for the same product.

 

So the customer, like myself, that buys a medical insurance rider for international travel, does not buy the normal travel insurance, makes a decision, sticks to that decision, will get the cheapest price. I'm for it. I see it a very little risk, that I can loose the money but have no real problem of doing so. I also gamble in the casino, which so I have no issue loosing money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TwizzlersAddict

TwizzlersAddict

Posted
Posted

The loss of $100 isn’t fun,but I’m not loyal to Royal and don’t always cruise with them every year. So the FCC would be like an unwanted tether to Royal. I’m sure that’s part of the point,if you do decide to cancel or change, you feel compelled to book something with them or lose the entire deposit

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zach1213

Zach1213

Posted
Posted
The loss of $100 isn’t fun,but I’m not loyal to Royal and don’t always cruise with them every year. So the FCC would be like an unwanted tether to Royal. I’m sure that’s part of the point,if you do decide to cancel or change, you feel compelled to book something with them or lose the entire deposit

 

Yep, very true. Having spoken to a couple of revenue management people at Southwest, it's the same reason they do it...in addition to differentiating themselves from the pack, they have your money either way. If you give Southwest $200 and then the fare changes and you get $50 of it "back" as a credit, Southwest still has your $200, but you feel obligated to fly Southwest again (which will cost more than $50, most likely) and they get an additional $150 out of you again. Pretty smart way to play both sides.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jaynay

Jaynay

Posted
Posted
Agree...have also taken the reduced rate "pay up front" for cars and hotels.

 

And just try to get a lower fare with the airlines should the prices drop. :eek:;)

Can still do that with RCI cruises non-refundable up until final payment.

 

Yes, but I don't pay deposits to hotels a year in advance, nor do I pay full or any fare for plane tickets a year in advance.

 

I just don't think comparing RCI's non-refundable policy is comparable to cars/hotels. And trip insurance covers them (hotels & airfare) differently - seriously - RCI reimbursement is to the booked individuals and not the person depositing/paying for the cruise? Again, not the same as car rentals/planes/hotels.

 

I don't book suites, just balconies, no complaints!!! and miss the old way of reserving. We both work, and do land vacations and cruise about every 3rd year, sometimes more, sometimes less. We've been diamond for awhile.

 

It just seems to get harder to book what you want through RCI every time we come back to cruise. 😤We love RCI and the cruises, but not the booking experience. In October we were in Europe when I booked our next cruise while onboard and was blown away by all these refund/non-refund changes. The poor loyalty ambassador!

 

But we do love cruising when we can.😍

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ARandomTraveler

ARandomTraveler

Posted
Posted
Is it 90 days for 7 day cruises now? :o

 

 

When did it change from 75 days to 90? I’m wondering because the final payment date on my invoice says the penalty starts at day 74. I booked the cruise a long time ago, so I’m wondering if the 90 day change was in effect for most people on my ship, and if that means that price drops will start happening between days 89-76 when I can still get a price drop because my personal final payment date is later than most peoples. Or, did the 90 day thing just go into effect in the last couple months?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
When did it change from 75 days to 90? I’m wondering because the final payment date on my invoice says the penalty starts at day 74. I booked the cruise a long time ago, so I’m wondering if the 90 day change was in effect for most people on my ship, and if that means that price drops will start happening between days 89-76 when I can still get a price drop because my personal final payment date is later than most peoples. Or, did the 90 day thing just go into effect in the last couple months?

March 2016.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
Neat, thanks! I booked before that. My cruise was released last April (2017) so is it safe to assume most people booked for my cruise have the 90 day requirement and that I might benefit from some of those price drops that happen after final payment?

Sounds like a good possibility.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted
The best way to show Southwest (or any airline) that you don't like their policy is, unfortunately, to not support them. There are companies I don't support anymore because of policies or past actions. Heck, I actually stayed away from Southwest for three years (not an easy task when you travel for a living!) because I had two bad experiences that they refused to resolve or acknowledge. I was eventually drawn back to them and have not had the same experiences since, but I'm still weary and don't automatically jump to Southwest like I used to.

 

Have not flew with Southwest since that incident. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted
Yes, but I don't pay deposits to hotels a year in advance, nor do I pay full or any fare for plane tickets a year in advance.

 

I just don't think comparing RCI's non-refundable policy is comparable to cars/hotels. And trip insurance covers them (hotels & airfare) differently - seriously - RCI reimbursement is to the booked individuals and not the person depositing/paying for the cruise? Again, not the same as car rentals/planes/hotels.

 

I don't book suites, just balconies, no complaints!!! and miss the old way of reserving. We both work, and do land vacations and cruise about every 3rd year, sometimes more, sometimes less. We've been diamond for awhile.

 

It just seems to get harder to book what you want through RCI every time we come back to cruise. ��We love RCI and the cruises, but not the booking experience. In October we were in Europe when I booked our next cruise while onboard and was blown away by all these refund/non-refund changes. The poor loyalty ambassador!

 

But we do love cruising when we can.��

 

That's why there is a choice of NFD and refundable. I have said it many times already...choice is a good thing. NFD is not for everyone. I have simply stated that

it works for me and saves me hundreds of dollars a year. ;)

 

BTW: Loyalty Ambassadors don't book cruises on board. Only Next Cruise department does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Biker19

Biker19

Posted
Posted
My cruise was released last April (2017) so is it safe to assume most people booked for my cruise have the 90 day requirement and that I might benefit from some of those price drops that happen after final payment?

The timing of price drops after final does't seem to have been affected by final payment being moved from 75 to 90 days. Sizable ones still seem to happen about 60 days out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
davekathy

davekathy

Posted
Posted
That's why there is a choice of NFD and refundable. I have said it many times already...choice is a good thing. NFD is not for everyone. I have simply stated that

it works for me and saves me hundreds of dollars a year. ;)

 

BTW: Loyalty Ambassadors don't book cruises on board. Only Next Cruise department does.

Agree. All of our past and future cruises were booked before the choice of RD or NRD. Earlier I assumed it was a reasonable price. So I just checked our future cruises and compared. No way would I choose to book a RD. I don't do it with airfare. My wife and I have a deal. If one of us dies the survivor will put the deceased on ice and deal with it when back from the cruise.;):D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...