Booked with a UK TA but have found a better deal.

[WanderingDust]

Booked for July, a balcony cabin, paid a non refundable deposit of £450.

 

At the time of looking for quotes this seemed decent however a new TA has come back to me and offered a spacious balcony cabin with $600 obc or the cruise only for £350 cheaper no obc.

 

The ta we booked with gave us $300 obc for the more than the latest ta has offered however I wasn’t given the option of the cruise only no credit at all which actually works out cheaper and a slightly bigger cabin.

 

I’m waiting to see if my ta can match it, If not are we stuck or can rccl do anything? Hope that made sense!

 

 

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[cruisinfanatic]

Booked for July, a balcony cabin, paid a non refundable deposit of £450.

 

At the time of looking for quotes this seemed decent however a new TA has come back to me and offered a spacious balcony cabin with $600 obc or the cruise only for £350 cheaper no obc.

 

The ta we booked with gave us $300 obc for the more than the latest ta has offered however I wasn’t given the option of the cruise only no credit at all which actually works out cheaper and a slightly bigger cabin.

 

I’m waiting to see if my ta can match it, If not are we stuck or can rccl do anything? Hope that made sense!

 

 

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Aren't you past final payment?

[WanderingDust]

No May 17th is final payment date

 

 

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[Clarea]

Rules may be different in the UK, but in general, you cannot take a booking away from a TA without that TA's approval.

[papaflamingo]

Since the deposit is non refundable, I can't imagine that Royal Caribbean can do anything. In the U.S. we can get the cheaper rate if it comes available. UK has different rules. It sounds like you are trying to change Travel Agencies so I would assume you'd lose your deposit. Guess you need to decide which is cheaper, losing your deposit and rebooking or not.

[WanderingDust]

If it can’t be changed we’ll leave things as they are, I’m a bit annoyed that we weren’t offered the option of the cruise only no on board credit as actually that $300 works out at more expensive!

 

 

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[Ourusualbeach]

If it can’t be changed we’ll leave things as they are, I’m a bit annoyed that we weren’t offered the option of the cruise only no on board credit as actually that $300 works out at more expensive!

 

 

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Promotions change all the time. That option may not have been available when you booked.

[geomancer]

Don't forget that OBC can be used to cover your gratuities (if not included by your TA).

 

For two people, for one week, that comes out to $203 = ~£149. Uses up half of that credit, but still leaves £151 if you didn't plan on buying anything at all on board.

 

Those OBC numbers are really high! Whenever I look here in the US, they usually range in the $50-$150 (£37-£110) range. Sometimes a little higher.

[WanderingDust]

Cruise is £3357 for 3 of us with $300 (£210 ish) OBC cruise only is £2995 no OBC so it’s cheaper to go for the cruise only and add the gratuities etc ourselves?

 

 

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[geomancer]

Cruise is £3357 for 3 of us with $300 (£210 ish) OBC cruise only is £2995 no OBC so it’s cheaper to go for the cruise only and add the gratuities etc ourselves?

 

Ah, whoops, for some reason I read £300 instead of $300.

 

You'd have to ask your TA to see if you could "switch" to that lower priced no-OBC offer.

 

I also don't spend a penny on board, so OBC is of no value to me if it exceeds gratuities (but with three of us, that doesn't happen).

[WanderingDust]

Nothing can be done, oh well! What’s the best use of the OBC? Drinks packages I guess?

 

 

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[Clarea]

Nothing can be done, oh well! What’s the best use of the OBC? Drinks packages I guess?

I'd use it for gratuities.

[yuvraj]

As others have mentioned, I would use OBC for gratuities. I prefer to pay for individual drinks instead of getting a package as I am not a big drinker.

 

Other uses I have made with OBC : spa treatments, excursions, casino.

 

With regards to the original question, I have occasionally regretted booking a cruise and then found a better deal. If it is a big difference then I have considered cancelling and re-booking. Otherwise I enquire with existing TA if they can match. Usually the answer is no but it is worth asking.